


Dragon District

by xYourHero



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 2P China x Reader - Freeform, 2P Hetalia, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Pining, Reverse Harem, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, bring back hetalia 2020, im serious zao won’t stop hitting on you, tell him to take his shitty pickup lines somewhere else, tons and tons of flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 96,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24819376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xYourHero/pseuds/xYourHero
Summary: When you moved to Chinatown, San Francisco, you never expected to meet such an intriguing group of people that you'd soon come to call your friends. You'd never expected to meet an opium-addicted Chinese flirt and eventually fall for him, either.Hilarity ensues.
Relationships: 2P Hetalia Ensemble/Reader, 2p China/reader
Comments: 118
Kudos: 103





	1. The Alleyway Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> hey! not sure if anyone's reading hetalia in 2020 but i wrote this fic a few years ago and i'm planning to revise it, so here goes nothing i guess

_"You're in our house now. Welcome to the district, kitten. It's shady around here... evil warriors are lurking. We're in the darkest side of Frisco — where there be dragons."_

** Chapter One: The Alleyway Meeting **

You sighed quietly as you pressed your head to the car's window. Countless telephone poles flew by your line of vision, as did the seemingly infinite rural road. The summer sun was shining and the sky was completely free of clouds. Undoubtedly, you were still far from the big city your family was locating to. "How much longer till we get there?" You asked your parents again.

"About... two and a half hours left," Your mother peered at you from the front seat and smiled, "Aren't you excited?"

You knew _she_ was excited, as well as your father, so that was great. You were happy that they'd found a good job opportunity, especially after all those months of unemployment. However, you weren't too happy about moving.

Your destination was San Francisco, California.

Your new house would be located in Chinatown, to be exact. You weren't thrilled when you'd first heard this news, especially since you'd previously thought Chinatown to be nothing but a huge tourist trap. _"We're sorry about having to take you away from your friends, _____. But this move will do great things for us."_ Your father had mentioned, to which your mother had added, _"And our new jobs are right in that district. It'll be easiest to commute to work."_

On the first day of summer vacation, you'd had to pack up your stuff and get ready to leave your old town behind.

"Oh, and didn't we tell you about that friend of mine?" Your father suddenly asked.

"No, you didn't."

"I was meaning to tell you about a friend who lives right next door to where we'll be living, and he has a son your age. So, you'll be neighbors with him and probably become friends, so when school starts, you'll already know someone. Isn't that better than starting a new high school all alone?"

You sank down into your seat, "I guess..." You weren't sure how to feel about this, or about where precisely you were moving to.

After a couple more hours, the drive was nearly over.

As the family car emerged from the well-known San Francisco Bridge, you couldn't help but admire the city's architecture.

"Hey look, that house looks like the one from Full House. Oh, and that one looks like the one in Big Hero 6!" You kept pointing out popular icons from the movie-famous city. "They really got the geography right in Inside Out. The roads definitely have hills like this."

Your elation subsided, however, once you saw Chinatown coming into view. "I really... can't believe... we're gonna live in a district so different to America..." You knew more than anything that it indeed felt like China here. How would it feel to truly reside in this place? You knew you were eventually going to miss your home country's modern look and culture.

"At least our apartment building is luxurious. Oh, but we'll be living in a condo."

"Right, so still a house rather than an apartment?"

"That's right. Hey... looks like we're here!" Your mother pointed to a tall red building that was clearly in a Chinese architectural style.

It looked like it had many levels, with each separated by dark red arcs that curved up—a definite sign of a Chinese building design. The outside was decorated with elaborate carvings and Chinese symbols. The roof was triangular and pointed, and there were ropes of red-and-gold lanterns hanging from a side of the building to another. In fact, most of the streets in this community were strewn with lanterns from roof to roof.

"I'm sure there's lots to see here. My friend's son can definitely show you around. We've already told him about you."

You pulled away from the window to glare at your father via the rearview mirror, "You _what?"_

"I told my friend we were moving here, and about you, and he told his son and wife about you. He said they're excited to meet us."

You sighed, just as the vehicle pulled into a parking space in front of the tall building.

As you stepped out of the car, you glanced around at the shops that were scattered across your street. A _lot_ of signs written in Chinese characters came into view, as well as large windows full of various and unique items. Some sold traditional Changshans, others showcased Chinese-style furniture, some carried trinkets such as hand-held fans and other knickknacks, while some showed off Ancient China-era swords. There was even a Hello Kitty shop way down on the left corner. You'd noticed a few anime shops in this locality and even some stores solely for Asian sweets and candies.

"Why don't you unpack your room and then go exploring for a bit?" Your father suggested. "We'll take care of the rest of the unpacking."

**-D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T-**

Once you were finished with your room, you decided it wouldn't hurt to look around your new neighborhood a bit. After all, this sector of San Francisco was a popular place to visit.

"Oh, and while you're out there, be on the lookout for Dave's kid. I completely forgot his name, but he'll be around Portsmouth Square. His dad told me he was there with some friends." Your father told you as you stepped out the door.

"Yeah, yeah." You waved it off as you walked out.

It was already getting dark, and that only meant that the streets were even more stunning than during the daytime. The countless lanterns all over the district's rooftops were shining, all the neon signs were lit up to brighten the streets, and endless, soft golden glows were emanating from shops, restaurants, and dragon-themed lampposts.

Some people walking the streets were tourists dressed in casual clothing, while others were dressed in traditional Chinese wear. This didn't seem to be out of place.

As you stepped out of a shop (you'd purchased a pair of elegant chopsticks as a memento of your first night here), you'd decided to check out Portsmouth Square—which was considered to be the heart of Chinatown.

...Also because you wanted to see if your new neighbor and his friends were there. You had no idea who or what to look for, but you were just there to check out the park anyway.

There was a large red Asian archway over the entrance to the area, which was only the beginning to a huge park that definitely looked like it came from the Far East side of the world. "Whoa..." You gaped as you stood in place, taking in the historical grounds.

After a few seconds, a voice was abruptly heard from behind you. "Hey... you look lost."

You quickly swiveled around to face the person. "Er, what...?"

A male about your age stood there. He was smirking slightly and his red eyes appeared to gleam with mischief. He chuckled and responded, "You're _____, aren't you?"

Slowly, you nodded. "Yeah... how do you know my name?" You almost wanted to slap a hand over your mouth once you said that. The answer was now obvious.

He adjusted the brim of his hat, which was covered by the nighttime shadows so you couldn't see what was on it. "Nice to meet'cha. I was told about you coming to live here." He stepped a bit closer and threw an arm across your shoulders, "Looks like we'll be neighbors." He peered into your face and winked, "...We'll have fun with you here."

"I-I'm sorry, but—" You moved away from his arm and tried to smile, "I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, right." As he started talking again, he opened up the sports bag that was over his shoulder. You hadn't noticed it till he took off his cap — which you now recognized as a San Francisco Giants baseball hat — and stuffed it into the bag. "The name's Allen," He shouldered the bag, which also appeared to have a wooden baseball bat inside. "I'm done out here. Wanna head home, dollface?"

**-D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T-**

The next day, you were walking down the streets of Chinatown with your, er... rather _eccentric_ new friend. "You moved here from _where?"_ Allen asked as he gnawed on a celery stick.

"I _just_ told you..."

He shrugged, "Well, anyway. It's cool that you agreed to hang out today. I swear, all the other girls I go up to just think I'm some creep. _Pfff_ ," He rolled his eyes.

"Really?" You looked him up and down. He was wearing a white t-shirt, torn jeans, a pair of red Converse, a silver dog tag necklace and black sunglasses. His brunette hair fell to the right side of his face and his tanned skin only gave him a more exotic look. You couldn't see why other females thought he looked unapproachable or untrustworthy.

"...Also, I had nothing else to do today."

You put a hand to your heart in mock hurt, "Wow, I am _so_ offended."

He laughed and patted your hair, then continued showing you around the district.

Half an hour later, you were standing between two different buildings. "That," Allen pointed, "is a gay bar. Never walk in there by accident, haha." He then pointed to the other building as you two stood in the alleyway, "And that, my friend, is a club for crossdressing. The signs don't really say what these two places are, so just lettin' ya know in case of whatever."

You looked down the alley. "And is anything down there?"

He glanced over, but soon shook his head. "Just some fortune-teller, pro-bullshitter stuff."

"Huh. You really know your way around here, don't you?"

He shrugged, "I've lived here a while. Plus, a lot of my friends live here too."

"So... who were those friends you were supposed to be at Portsmouth Square with yesterday?"

He put his hands into his pockets and looked down. At that moment you really had to admit he was attractive — especially with the way his hair shaded his eyes and his short-sleeved shirt showed off his muscles and tattoos. "Eh... Oliver and Flavio. I was making them play baseball with me yesterday, but I swear..." He chuckled, "Those two are _the most sissy bitches_ I've ever met in my life."

You laughed with him, "You can only say things like that about true friends."

He fist-bumped you, "True, true."

Allen was definitely not like how you'd imagined he'd be when you first met him, and frankly, you were relieved by that.

"Oh... and I guess I have this other good friend-"

You playfully winked and pointed to yourself, "-Me?"

He blushed a bit before he stuttered out, "What? Pshhh, _no_. He's... oh — is that him...?" He peered over your shoulder to the left street of the alley. "What in the _honest fuck_ is he doing?"

You turned around to see someone running down the sidewalk while looking frantically over his shoulder. He was sprinting in your direction while still not looking forward a few seconds later when you decided that _oh hell nah,_ you were _not_ about to get knocked over.

As the person was coming closer, you jumped out of the way and let the dude run smack into Allen. "Hey, what the hell are you — aw, _shit!"_

This, of course, caused _Allen_ to get knocked over, rather than you which was all you wanted anyway.

"Bruh, Zao, what are you _doing?"_ Allen hissed from the ground, the other guy on top of him. "Running from the cops again?! I _told_ you not to make deals during the day, god dammit!" He quickly pushed him off and stood back up.

The other guy laughed and got up, "No, ahahaha, I stole Ion's wallet!" He reached into his pocket and presented a worn leather wallet. "That piece of shit only got about half of what he deserved, man."

Allen rolled his eyes. "You're _insane_. _"_

"Hey, I can't stand that guy and you know it!"

Allen crossed his arms and sneered, "Who cares? His older sister with the huge tits is like, _super_ fucking hot."

The newcomer — who looked a type of Asian — retorted back, "Is that the only reason you get along with stupid Ion?" He scoffed and then walked a few steps over to a homeless musician who was playing a _mangtong_ on the sidewalk. "Hey brother, you can have all this." To your surprise, he gave the man all of the money that had been in the wallet. "You totally need it more than Ion." With that, he stepped back over to Allen and threw the wallet into a nearby dumpster. "No one will find it now, haha."

You weren't sure whether to think his gesture was kind or criminal. No — he'd _stolen_ that wallet, so it was definitely criminal. Even if he'd given the money to a less fortunate.

Allen was now checking his phone instead of listening to you or the other person, so you coughed awkwardly to get his attention. At that, he glanced back up and pointed to you, "Oh right. This is _____, my new neighbor." He then pointed to the Asian and looked at you, "And that's Zao Wang. He's kinda shady so don't get too close to him, 'kay?"

Zao shot him a _look_ , and then shifted his attention back to you. "_____, huh..." He smiled sensually at you and took a step forward.

From a quick once-over, you could tell that he was easily one of the best-looking guys you'd seen here. Almost tied with Allen, that was for sure. His eyes appeared to be the color of crimson, and a military cap was over his dark brown hair. He was wearing a sleeveless black Changshan with red trim and cross stitches, which revealed a black dragon tattoo over his upper left arm and a lion tattoo over his right shoulder.

"You look so... pure and innocent. It's cute, really." He gazed into your face, analyzing, to which you felt a sense of discomfort with his scrutiny and backed away slightly. You weren't used to people staring at you so closely and it made you feel just a bit self-conscious.

"...It makes me wonder how long you'll last here." Finally tearing his blood-colored irises away from you, he looked down and fumbled for something in his pocket. A moment later he was lighting up either a joint or a cigarette—you couldn't determine which from this distance.

"Excuse me?" You weren't sure what he meant by that and you weren't about to leave it alone.

A wisp of smoke emanated from the roll between his lips as he smirked at you, "You're in our house now. Welcome to the district, kitten." Presumably on purpose, he crept closer and spoke in a shaky witch voice, " _It's shady around here. Evil warriors are lurking. We're in the darkest side of Frisco, where there be dragons."_

You made a face and took a step back, "Stop talking in that creepy voice."

He chuckled, waved his hand and stepped away. "Isn't she adorable, Allen?"

Finishing off a text message, Allen glanced back up. "She sure is," He then faced you and used your shoulder as an arm rest. "But he's right, y'know, about this place too. Heh, 'Chinatown of San Francisco'? More like 'Opium Capital of the American west coast'."

Zao nodded and made a peace sign, "And _I'm_ the Emperor around here.~"

"Uh," Allen rolled his eyes, "More like everyone's weird drug dealer."

_"What_ was that, American?" Zao used the peace hand that was already in the air to reach for Allen's shirt collar.

He didn't look intimidated in the slightest. "Okay, first off, I'm _Native_ American — there's a difference, asshole." He flicked Zao on the forehead.

They continued to converse back and forth as you slowly backed away a bit more. Your phone was starting to blow up with messages from your friends in your old town, especially since you and Allen had taken a selfie earlier and he'd sent it to basically everyone in your Recents, much to your annoyance.

As you frantically tried to text everyone back saying _no, he's not your new boyfriend_ , you only picked up on bits and pieces of his and Zao's banter.

"I'm the King of Chinatown's Underworld and you know it!"

"Dream on."

"You really don't know much about me—"

Once your phone was in peace, you tried to tune back in to what they were saying. You were distracted, however, by Zao's body language. He looked partially seething with indignation, and partially pleased with the attention he was getting from Allen.

You couldn't help but watch him — his arms were pretty toned, and despite his short height, his entire anatomy appeared to be muscled and firm. There was a different look to his body than Allen's. Instead of a naturally buff American look, it was easy to tell Zao either worked out or was on steroids. In other words: he was surprisingly hot and you weren't sure if you should be attracted to someone like him.

As you surveyed him, you couldn't help but blurt out that you liked his animal tattoos. "And that dragon one is cool."

For some reason, you weren't expecting him to acknowledge you. Instead, he ignored Allen and sent you a wink. "Hm. Thanks." His smile was small but carnal.

You felt yourself blush. The first thought that came to your mind was _why_. You didn't like the way Zao made you feel, and especially the way he effortlessly got you flustered.

"Anyways, I need to go find Kuro. See you two around." He placed his hand over the brim of his military cap and grinned smugly at both you and Allen. "...Especially _you_ , kitten.~" He looked at you a few seconds longer than needed before turning around and walking out of the alleyway.

You watched him for a moment as he left. Something about his personality was alluring and it didn't help that he was somewhat attractive.

"...You have a c~ru _uuush_ on him, don'tcha doll?" Allen suddenly teased. "Funny, I never expected you to be the type with an Asian fetish."

You nearly choked on your own spit, "W- _What_? I don't _like_ him! I _just_ met him and—"

"-Oh _please_ ," He made a shooing motion with his hand, eyes closed modestly and a knowing grin on his face, "I saw the way you were checking him out. You're totally into him, aren't you?"

" _No_. And I don't need you playing matchmaker."

"I'm not," A serious expression abruptly took over his features. "Look. That guy is a flirt and everyone knows it. But, _really_ , girls hardly ever like him, and they usually just want either drugs or sex from him, I mean, to be honest, it's true he basically runs this town's red light district, but still, I think—"

You covered your face and groaned, "-Allen, where are you going with this?"

He stopped rambling. Now smiling 'innocently' at you, he continued, "I think you're just his _type."_

Your jaw nearly dropped. "Huh?! How do you figure that? And, it's not like it matters..."

"You seem like the introverted- or maybe calm-type. Are you quiet, _____? Never done a hell of a lot of illegal shit?"

"Um..."

"That's you, isn't it? Not some crazy-ass drug addict?" Allen watched you inquisitively, hands in his pockets. "...Thought so.~"

"I—"

He suddenly began jumping up and down in excitement, "Ohhhhhh MAN!" He laughed energetically, "You wouldn't want Flavio to hear of this, ahahaha! He'll literally go full fanboy and force you two to get together."

Your heart raced. "Uh, no thanks?! I _just_ met him, Allen!" Your cheeks flushed furiously.

He slowly stopped spinning around. "...Mm. Bummer." Sighing, he looked up into the summer sky. "He... needs a good girl like you, but whatever."

You both quieted down after that. _Zao 'needs a good girl'? What could_ that _mean...?_ You wondered.

"Anyway. Wanna head back to my place and have a vegan shake with me? Shut up, they're better than you think, I know you were about to say somethin' stupid." He turned and began walking back without awaiting an answer.

Somehow, you were tempted to ask him more about Zao.

In the back of your mind, you secretly wished you could know more about him.


	2. He Likes Good Girls

"Hey, is the Wi-Fi working yet?" You asked your dad as you sat on the couch of your new house. The walls were bare and boxes were still in corners, but it felt comfortable already.

"Not yet," He was on his knees, plugging in all the necessary cords to the TV and wall. "Are you all done unpacking?"

"Yup."

"So you have nothing to do?" Your mother asked as she continued sorting through boxes in the kitchen.

"Um, I guess not."

She was organizing the silverware when she looked up and asked, "I noticed we lost our dishwasher soap. Mind going down to one of those stores down the street and buying some?"

"Ah, fine," You stood up and slipped your shoes on. "...So am I always gonna be running errands for you guys now that we're living in a city like this?"

Your mother chuckled, "Oh please, everything is so close together around here. Convenience is the purpose. There are _so many_ shops nearby with everything we could possibly need."

You opened the front door. "Yeah. If I wanted to buy a samurai sword, I could just go across the street."

You were nearly out the door when you heard your father chime, "That's the beauty of Chinatown.~"

As you stepped out of the apartment building, your thoughts flashed back to yesterday when you first hung out with Allen and eventually met Zao. You briefly wondered if you'd meet anyone else before the school year started. Just like your father had mentioned before you moved here, it would be great to know people before starting a new high school in a new city. You made a mental note to ask Allen later what grade he's in.

_And if Zao will be going to our school,_ you quietly added in the back of your mind. As soon as you realized you'd thought that, you shook it off. Why was that druggie still on your mind anyway? He probably—

_Shit._

Before you could finish convincing yourself that you shouldn't get involved with him, of course, you just _had_ to notice him across the street. Damn, why was everyone so social in Chinatown? People were hanging out at all hours around here.

It was only around eight in the evening, but it didn't change the fact that you were dismayed to see Zao again _without_ Allen by your side. At least with Allen, he could fill any awkward silences with that loud mouth of his. Or rather, with that mindless banter he seemed to easily have with Zao.

_Wait, why am I already thinking that I'm going to talk to him?_ you thought as you looked away from Zao. You were still standing in the exit doors of your apartment building, trying to pretend as if you didn't care that you were in lounging-around-the-house clothes.

Zao still hadn't noticed you yet, so that was good.

However, you couldn't ignore that you were curious to see who he was talking to.

Trying to look nonchalant, you glanced over to the group.

_Okay, what the hell?_ you shook your head _. Abort mission mate—what are you even doing?!_ You were thinking it, but you knew you couldn't actually tell him.

He was chatting with some people who were clearly taller, stronger, and about a hundred times more intimidating than him. Yet, he was talking as casually with them as if they _didn't_ look like they _could_ and _would_ punch his teeth out at any given moment. "This guy... must have some connections..." You thought aloud as he laughed with the group and even made inappropriate gestures, thus causing a couple more laughs from the frightening-looking group.

You watched a moment longer as he even leaned against one of the males and said something that you couldn't hear. _Uh... that's enough stalking for today,_ you told yourself to get moving. _He probably won't even notice me._

You turned and started walking just as a furious shout came from the group you'd just been observing. Curious, you—along with a few other passersby—naturally turned to see what was going on.

Apparently a guy had bumped into someone in the group and of course, the person in the group was enraged and started shouting. A fist-fight looked like it was about to ensue. Man, how crazy _were_ these people?

You snuck another peek at Zao and just about hated yourself for it. He was snickering at the argument and elbowing someone next to him, which looked like an Asian who was actually shorter than him.

With all the commotion, at least it was easier to get out of the street undetected. _Ugh, please don't let him see me..._ you chanted to yourself as you made a beeline for the closest convenient store.

Luck wasn't on your side today. Maybe you shouldn't have been staring at him so much.

"Hm? Is that _____?" He stopped elbowing his friend—it wasn't like he was getting his attention anyway—and stepped a bit farther out of the circle. The shouting had died down and it didn't look like there'd be a fight anymore. "Hey, _____!"

You could have kept walking, but it seemed like he had you trapped. You looked over your shoulder at him.

He grinned and waved cheerily at you. "Hi _____!"

It was always noisy around Chinatown, so the other people he'd been hanging out with didn't seem to notice him calling out to you. Well, that was good. You waved back at him and tried to keep walking.

Didn't work. He bolted away from the group and fell into step with you. "Well well, look what we have here.~ I found an adorable lost kitten!" He cooed at you—perhaps jokingly, you couldn't tell if he seriously thought of you like that or not—and even cupped his face in admiration at the sight of you. "Mind if I walk with you, stray kitty?"

You huffed in annoyance, "I am not like a stray cat."

"You _are_ like a kitten though—new to this place, innocent, and most importantly," He held up a finger and winked, "Cute."

You rolled your eyes, "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'll try to start this conversation over." You were still looking for that convenience store. You knew you should probably ask Zao, but you didn't want to remind him of the fact that you were new around here. "Er... _hi Zao,_ nice to see you again." Hopefully this different starter wouldn't lead to you seeming like a kitten to him.

"That sounded like... it was dripping with sarcasm."

You shrugged, "Deal with it." If only you had sunglasses right now. If only _. If only_. That would have been the perfect time to slip them on.

He chuckled, "So where are we going?"

Thank god he asked. You barely had any idea where you were going. "I'm looking for the convenience store to buy some, uh..." How lame would it sound if you admitted to being out looking for dishwasher soap when he'd just been out with his crazy friends? ...Oh well. "Dishwasher soap." It barely hit you at that moment that he'd ditched his friends just to come walk around with you. And... to buy dishwasher soap no less.

"...Are you serious?"

You tried to look unaffected. "Yeah,"

He couldn't hide his laughter. "You're... so funny. And interesting."

_Liar,_ you thought to yourself. "You're joking, I know."

He stopped laughing. "Um... but I'm not though."

"Are you high?"

He pretended to look guilty, raising a hand to his lips and glancing away. "Nnnnn... n-not right now, no." He lowered the hand that had been over his face and plopped it down on your shoulder. "Why? Wanna try it with me sometime?" He peered at you and smirked slightly.

"I didn't mean it like that..."

"Well you're welcome to anytime," He pulled away a bit. "Anyway. Dishwasher soap, right? S'that way. There's a place that sells, er, kitchen stuff. Right over there." He chin-pointed to just the place you'd been hoping to come across.

You couldn't hold in your relief. "...Yay."

"So... stores. That reminds me." He abruptly stopped walking, and you slowed. He pulled something out of his pocket. "I uh, got you something."

At this, you came to a sudden halt. "You _what?"_ You spun around and faced him.

He held up a shining dragon necklace and grinned. "Cool, right?"

It was silver, and the pendant was of a coiled-up Chinese dragon. It appeared to be wrapped around a small ying-yang symbol with a diamond in the center. The chain was long and made up of tiny rings.

You had to admit that it was indeed a cool necklace. It looked like one you could easily get in one of the many souvenir shops around Chinatown, but it was the thought that counted. And... now that you think of it, why _did_ he decide to do this? "W-Why are you giving me this..."

He quickly stepped behind you. "Let me put it on first." You allowed him to put it over your head, and when he pulled up your hair to fasten it, you were pleasantly surprised by his gentleness. His warm fingers lightly brushed against your skin and you tried to ignore the electricity-like jolts that spread through your body from his touch.

Once he had it fastened, he stepped in front of you to admire how you looked with it. "Mmm..." He gracefully reached to move a strand of hair behind your ear and smiled. "It looks good on you."

"Oh, um..." You blushed. He was watching you closely again, just like when you'd first met. You weren't sure why, but it made you nervous whenever you had his full attention.

"You said you liked my dragon tattoo, so I got you this to match.~" He blew you a kiss. "Also, think of it as a welcome-to-the-district gift."

"Zao... uh," You self-consciously avoided eye contact. "Thanks..." Needless to say, you'd never expected him to be the thoughtful type.

"Also, I'm totally not doing it just to get in your pants or anything."

Your blush deepened, "Hey... I-I hope you know that you just ruined this moment!" As if an instinct, you punched him lightly on the arm, to which he laughed.

"I kind of like that reaction, kitten."

"Anyway... excuse me, but I have soap to buy." You turned and made it over to the store.

Luckily, the dishwasher soap was one of the first things you saw. By the time you had it in your hands ready to buy, you caught sight of Zao making funny faces at you through the shop's large windows. "Idiot..." You thought aloud, but you were smiling.

Once you stepped outside with your plastic bag, you were surprised to see Zao still there. He was leaning against a wall, texting someone. You'd expected him to finish the message and ignore you, but as soon as he saw you, he pocketed his phone and backed off the wall. "Welcome back. You get what you need?"

"Er... yeah." The fact that he'd waited for you was actually pretty sweet. _Doesn't he... have anything better to do?_ you wondered to yourself. You would have thought for sure that he had a girlfriend. Or at least had cooler friends to hang out with, like the ones from earlier. Instead he'd chosen to stick by your side and had even bought you a nice necklace. "So... what were you doing here?"

He walked up to you and grabbed the bag. You allowed him to carry it for you. "Hm? You mean earlier?"

"Yeah." You started on the walk back home, and he sauntered alongside you.

"I was just, y'know, hanging out. I actually live on the next street over from there."

Your eyes widened, but thankfully he didn't see it. "You... you live on the next street over from me?"

He glanced at you, "Didn't Allen tell you? I mean, you and him live in the same building don't you?"

"Yeah..." Speaking of him, you wondered where he was. You hadn't seen him all day.

Your face flushed a bit when you remembered what he'd told you yesterday. _"You'd be great for Zao,"_ he'd said. What did he even mean by that...? And why?

Soon, you were nearing your building. "Ah, I should get going. I need to..." – _help my parents unpack?_ Lame. "—I need to do stuff."

"Awh," He pouted at you, which would have been a lie to say it wasn't adorable. "You can't stay out a bit longer?"

Glancing over his shoulder, you could see that his friends weren't in the same spot as before. Still, you knew your parents needed you home. "Um... sorry?" You reached for your dragon pendant and held it tightly without realizing it.

He noticed, and a smile twitched on his lips because of it. "Oh..."

"A-And besides," You weren't sure why he wanted you to hang out with him longer. He probably had other girls all over him. "I, uh, wanna see if my dad finished hooking up the Wi-Fi. I've got a ton of Netflix to catch up on, okay?"

"Er..." He looked confused for a moment. "You'd stay home and watch Netflix on a night like this?"

"What else would I do?"

"Something a normal girl around here would do. Hit up a party, blow someone, do some lines with me, go to a bar, look for s—"

"-Hey, that's enough!" You waved away the list with disgust. "I'm not like that, and..." You gave him a baffled look. "Is that really what you consider 'normal' around here?"

"Well..."

"No way. That's not me."

"Whoa..." To your surprise, he blushed. "G-Good girl..." He murmured, gazing at you with longing eyes and lips parted.

"Uh, yeah... I don't know what kind of place this is, but where I'm from, my friends and I are more concerned with TV shows and fictional characters than going out and getting laid..."

He gawked at you as if you were an alien. _"Really...?"_

What kind of life had this guy lived? "Um, yes."

His gaze had turned back to longing. "Like I said... you're so interesting..."

You'd never had a boy stare at you so intensely like that. Someone had never looked that _captivated_ by you and especially not someone like him. "What you're so interested in is someone called a nerd."

"I..." He finally snapped out of his love-daze and smirked. "I haven't ever known someone like you."

"Then I guess you really live in a small world," You glanced around the locality. "...You've been here in Chinatown a long time, haven't you?"

Suddenly, Allen's words sounded through your mind again:

_"Look. That guy is a flirt and everyone knows it. But, really, girls hardly ever like him, and they usually just want either drugs or sex from him..."_

_"I think you're the type of girl he likes."_

_"Are you quiet, _____? Never done a hell of a lot of illegal shit?"_

Maybe what he'd said to you had more significance than you previously believed.

"Yeah. Okay, _____." He stepped forward and threw his arms over your shoulders, caging you in—forcing you to look into his attractive face, "...You'll definitely be seeing more of me from now on."

Your heart was pounding. Your legs were going weak, especially with the recollection of Allen's talk from yesterday. Perhaps he'd been right, and that meant...

No way. You couldn't think about that right now.

Especially not with how close Zao was putting his face to yours. "I hope you're okay with that, kitten.~"

Trying to shake off your growing unwelcome feelings, you tried to appear careless and rolled your eyes. "What I want to know is what you could have been doing to only know 'bad' girls."

He continued to drape himself over you, practically hugging you. "Mm... you can't know just yet. Anyway... you said you had to go, right?"

You'd nearly forgotten about that. "Y-Yeah, I do."

"Alright. So... I guess I should try this formally." He finally pulled away from you. "______..." He looked into your face and smiled shyly.

You just about swooned. _That shy smile. Where the hell did it come from and why did it have to be so damn cute._

"...Will you be my friend?"

And cue the record scratch. "W-What did you just say?"

He laughed, "Do you want to be friends?"

"That's... not usually how it works, but sure?"

"'Kay.~" He sang. "...You should know that there's no getting rid of me now." He backed away and gave you a two-fingered salute. "See you, kitten." With that, he turned around and sauntered away.

_Huh... he's... definitely strange..._ was all you managed to think after that entire encounter.

However, you were very much interested to see how the rest of your summer would go, especially with his claims of seeing you more.

"He's a mysterious one,"

You jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around. "A-Allen?!"

He was casually leaning on the entrance to your building, arms crossed, a slightly amused look in his eye. His grin was smug. "'Sup doll."

"You... were there the whole time...?"

"Well it's not my fault you guys were standing out here for, like, ever. And don't act so surprised either; you do know I live literally across the hall from you, right?"

"Well, yeah..." You reached for the plastic bag with the bottle of soap in it that Zao had left next to you on the ground. "I forgot where we were for a minute."

Allen's grin turned to a smirk. "Isn't that like, girl-talk for 'he was all you could think about'?"

"Pfft, _no_..."

"You like him. Called it."

"No I don't; shut up."

"You're so mean to me compared to how nice you are to him..."

You had just gone up the steps and stood next to him when you said, "I'm, uh... not specifically mean or nice to you guys, I don't think..."

He looked you up and down, then chuckled. "Sure, sure. Oh... and nice necklace, by the way." He held the door open for you as he added, "...You know he's never randomly bought a gift for a girl like that, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i just wanted to thank @ardnazak for bookmarking and @carandacar for commenting! your support means a lot to me xoxo


	3. He's More Than What He Seems

You were currently staring at your closet full of clothes — and internally screaming.

Everything. _Everything_. Everything was wrinkled to the point of no return.

At least, no return unless you washed literally all of it, which sucked because your parents hadn't bought the washing machine or dryer yet. _This is what I get for stuffing all my clothes into boxes,_ you thought as you cursed this move. _What should I do now...?_

You took out your phone and called your mother, since both she and your dad weren't home. They had gone out for groceries since the kitchen was now completely unpacked and the refrigerator was close to empty. "Hey, so, it turns out all my clothes are wrinkled, and, yeah..."

She then proceeded to ask why you never said anything yesterday, since they'd asked if you were all unpacked and you'd said yes. The truth was you hadn't gotten around to putting away your clothes till now, and she simply told you that you had to go to the laundromat and stick them all in a dryer. Afterwards, you'd just need to fold them and the large wrinkles would be long gone.

"But where's the laundromat?"

"We don't know yet; we were planning on doing that tonight. We'll have to go there for our laundry until we buy our own washer and dryer. Just go ask Allen or something," Her voice sounded rushed and you heard the beeping of a check-out counter in the background.

"Ugh, fine." You hung up, slipped on your shoes, and walked out the front door.

You only walked about eight steps until you were facing his front door. Raising a fist, you knocked loudly. "Allen, you in there? I need to ask you something."

You knew his parents weren't here at this time either because of work. "Come on, I know you're in there.~" He was one of those people you could get comfortable around easily. "Aaaaaaalleeeeee-" The door swung open before you could finish your sing-song call.

"-Sorry doll, no time. I have somewhere to be." He turned and walked back into his house but left the door open for you to walk in.

"I just need to ask you something real quick. That okay?"

He was gathering stuff and jamming it into a black JanSport backpack. "Yeah whatever. Shoot."

"Where's the nearest laundromat?"

He had his back to you and visibly stopped shoving things into the backpack. "Uh..."

"I have a ton of stuff to de-wrinkle!"

He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Shit, I need to be there in two minutes... I don't think I can take you, boo."

"Just tell me where it is?"

"You'll get confused with the street names, I just know it."

"I won't. Besides," You glanced at his bag. "Where are you even going?"

He looked at you and pouted. "To meet a stupid... er, relative. Don't ask anymore." He unlocked his phone and started calling someone. "I'll just have Zao take you there." He announced as the tone started ringing.

"No!" You practically lunged for him, "Why Zao?!"

The phone was still pressed to his ear as he jumped away from you, "Uh, who _else_ of my friends do you know?! Pshh, no one yet, duh. And besides, it's good that Zao gets out and doesn't stay home doing lines of coke or someth-"

"-No, hang up!" You reached for his phone again, "Can't you just give me directions?!"

He managed to dodge you again. "I told you, I need to leave like, _right fucking now."_ When you pounced for his phone one last time, he raised it up high enough so you couldn't reach it. He watched you with slight amusement as you swiped helplessly for it. "...Haha, you're like a cat.~" Teasingly, he lowered it to your level, only to yank it away before you got the chance to snatch it.

Giving up, you plopped down on the living room couch and sighed. "Now you're reminding me of him..."

At that point, Zao answered. Allen laughed, "I guess that's a good thing." He then placed the phone back to his ear and said, "Hey, I need you to take _the kitten_ somewhere for me," He smirked at you when he spoke the words, and you simply groaned in dismay.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

And that was how you found yourself doing laundry with Zao Wang of all people.

"So waaaaarm~" He whispered giddily as he placed a jacket to his face. "Laundry fresh out of the dryer is almost better than British tea."

You tossed him a confused look. "You... You like British tea?"

He removed the jacket from his face and placed it onto the folding table. "It's better than Asian tea, lemme admit. And no, just because I'm Chinese doesn't mean I'm supposed to like Chinese tea. Blehhh." He stuck out his tongue in exaggerated disgust.

"Gotta be honest, I'm a little surprised you like tea in general..." You half-mumbled as you got to work folding all your clothes.

"Huh? Why's that?"

You looked up at him. Black military cap, black short-sleeved Chinese top — what were they called again? Oh yeah, Changshans. His baby face made him look younger than he was and so you responded, "You, uh, just don't look like a tea guy."

He glanced away and murmured, "Well, I don't look like a lot of things that I am..."

"What was that?" You'd been focused on spreading out a few hoodies and hadn't caught what he said.

"Nothin', nothin'.~" He looked back down and started separating the shirts from the pants. "Hey, hey _____. Did you know that when we get married, we'll be doing laundry together like this too?"

"Er, _what?"_ You squeaked, gaping at him.

He chuckled at your reaction and then, to your horror, spotted a piece of private apparel. "Oh, look what we have here.~" He grinned and held up one of your bras. "We've got a (bra size) over here, and a nice one at that."

You felt your face immediately burn like fire. "YOU _PERV!_ GIVE THAT BACK!" You snatched it away from him, but not before you noticed the stares of other people in the laundromat. At least they turned around soon when they saw it was nothing but a young couple getting loud at the folding area, or so they thought.

"And..." Once you'd hidden the bra, you eyed him suspiciously. "How did you know the right size?!"

He shrugged carelessly, "Er, I seen it before?"

"Ugh..." You were still blushing heavily as you looked away from him. So, you were right — he probably did have girls all over him, even if Allen claimed they were never Zao's 'type'.

"Hey... go away. I need to hide all my underwear from you-"

"But-"

"-No excuses!" You pushed him away and turned him the opposite way of your clothes. "And don't turn around until I say so."

He sighed and crossed his arms, but you could hear the smile on his face. "...You're no fun, kitten."

As you hid any piece of clothing that you didn't want him to see, you overheard him giggling in the corner. He was still facing the other direction so that was good. "What could you possibly be hiding? Lingerie?"

"No; I don't wear things like that."

"Hah. Good, you're not a stripper."

"UM?!" He always said inappropriate things at the most random times. "Of course not."

Even from a few feet away, you heard him sigh contentedly. "...I'm so glad."

You'd finished hiding the underwear and bras in a basket (with a towel over them) but you didn't tell him to turn around just yet. You leaned over the folding table and casually mentioned, "You know... most girls you meet probably aren't hookers."

"Problem is, most of them actually are," He shrugged, "They're the only girls who'll act like they want me, at least." He exhaled and added with a pained voice, "That's me, the sexy drug dealer that attracts all the naughty ones."

You couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for him. Why did it seem normal girls hardly ever liked him? Even if he had ties to drug dealing, it was easy to see that he was a good person; even if he was a tease, he wasn't bad-looking and had a fun personality. "Um... sorry to hear that."

"S'not your fault. It's mine."

"Oh..." You weren't sure how to respond to that. Even if you'd talked to him a lot in the past two days, it was mostly nothing but silly banter and flirting. Well, on _his_ behalf. You were usually just the victim of his teasing. So, it shouldn't have been so surprising to hear something personal come from him.

Maybe the fact that he only attracted indecent girls was an insecurity of his. If so, then you decided to avoid that subject altogether. After all, when he'd said it was his fault, it was partly true. Dabbling in drug dealing always had its negative side effects.

"Anyway... um..." You couldn't help but wonder what kinds of things he usually did that you didn't know about. How many more experiences did he have than you? Even if he acted immature at times, he seemed more like an adult than you did, and you knew that you two were about the same age. "-I'm done. You can turn around now."

He spun around and strutted back over to the table. "Alright~ want me to fold the shirts or the pants?"

"Doesn't matter," You began folding whatever was closest, just as it hit you that you should be more thankful for his help.

He started spreading out a pair of jeans. "...Hey, random question,"

"I'm kind of scared to ask what it is." You admitted, half-joking.

"Don't be," He winked. "...So do you prefer boxer or brief guys?"

You nearly dropped a shirt, _"Excuse_ me?"

He chuckled, "You heard me. You know, for like... research purposes."

"I-I'm not gonna answer that!" You griped as you threw a shirt at his face.

It wound up covering his entire head and he peeled it off moments later. "I just-oh hey, I know this show!"

You glanced at the shirt in his hands and realized it was your anime shirt. "You do...?"

"Yeah.~"

"Didn't know you liked that kind of thing."

"Eh, I'm more like a casual anime fan, I guess you could say."

"Really? What do you like?"

"Oh, the basics. Y'know, like Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Kill la Kill..." He pushed a few folded shirts in your direction. "I wish I could draw manga, actually. But..." He groaned, dropped his forehead to the table and grumbled, "...I can't art."

"Hah... that's okay. You can get better with patience and dedication."

"But I'm usually busy with... other things."

'Other things'. You knew you didn't want to ask about that.

Instead, you recalled something and then tilted your head at him, curious. "Hey, have you ever been to the conventions around here?"

"Never had anyone to go with," He mumbled.

_Until now,_ you thought.

"I once tried to get my friend Kuro to go with me, but he said he didn't care to go to a place full of 'filthy weebs'." He laughed and raised his head back up, "Oh well."

You gathered his share of folded clothes and added it to your own pile. Looks like you were just about done. "Yeah..."

He leaned over the table and looked you up and down. "Huh... I just thought of something."

"Is it perverted?"

He raised a finger up as if to object, "It's..." but then closed his mouth and looked away bashfully. "Uhhh okay, never mind..."

You inhaled deeply, "Oh my god, _Zao_. It has to do with me, doesn't it?"

After a few seconds of silence, he nodded cheerily, then kissed his fingertip and pressed it to your cheek. "Why of course it does, kitten.~"

"Then... I guess you _have_ to tell me..." You ordered, eyebrows furrowed and cheeks pink.

He covered his mouth to keep from laughing, "Mm... I was just gonna say we should go to a convention sometime and cosplay as your OTP so people can take pictures of us making out."

...

He broke you at that moment. You grabbed a shirt and used it to cover your overheating face while he started cracking up at your undeniable mortification.

For some reason, he seemed just a bit more interesting after that afternoon.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Once finished, you headed home with a laundry basket and a Zao.

"Hey, you're still wearing that necklace I gave you. How adorable~"

Subconsciously, you reached for the pendant and clutched it tightly. "I... like it, okay?"

"Good, because it was my way of claiming my territory."

_"What-"_

He laughed, "I'm joking. But, you know..." He peered into your face. "A lot of the guys around here are gonna be after you. I seriously need to step up my game..."

Deep down, you knew exactly what he meant, but you didn't want to admit it. "W-What are you talking about?"

He kicked a stone as you two passed vendors selling miniature Buddhist figures. "Sooner or later, Allen's gonna introduce you to our idiot friends, and I know you're gonna charm them just as well as you charmed me," He pouted at you and added, "...That would suck!"

You chuckled. "Yeah right. I'm about as charming as a dirty mop."

"Uh..." He looked genuinely puzzled. "_____... you do know you're cute, right?"

You felt a blush creep to your cheeks. It was the first time he straight-up told you that. "I-I know," You stammered, hoping he wouldn't notice how flustered he got you.

He laughed and faced the street, choosing to watch the park instead. "You better."

"Well..."

He was looking towards a group of small children as they played on the grass field. They were throwing around water balloons and pumping super soakers. Eyes on them, he eventually told you, "...Oh, and by the way, you look adorable when you're embarrassed."

This was almost too much. "Th-Then stop complimenting me!" You smacked his shoulder to distract him from your flushed face.

He was laughing again, "All right then~" He took a few steps closer to the gathering of young children. _"Āi hái zi men, wǒ kéyǐ tóng nǐmen wán ma?"_

At his question, the kids nodded giddily. You assumed that they must know him from somewhere.

Suddenly, one of them tossed him a water gun. _Uh-oh._

"...Emperor Zao's gonna drench you all!" Was his battle cry as he joined them in their water fight.

"No way..." You said aloud as you watched him actually get in on the action. You were still standing on the sidewalk, while he'd run into the park's grass field. "Huh... now _that's_ charming."

You set down the basket of laundry and watched them in amusement. _He's really not like how I imagined he'd be..._ you thought to yourself. There was still so much about him that you didn't know. There was definitely more to him than what initially seemed when you first met him in that alleyway. _He just casually joined those kids like nothing..._ you chuckled to yourself. "He's like a kid himself. One of them."

_Yeah, but a kid with a dirty mind..._ you caught yourself mentally adding _. Still... he's kind of adorable._

Your positive thought process of him instantly changed when he ran back over to you and smirked. "_____~" His hat was soaked and his shirt had a few splatters of water on it. "Now it's your turn, babe." He raised the water gun and— without hesitation — sprayed you directly in the chest.

"Ahhh, _Zao!"_ You protested, immediately gripping the collar of your shirt to peel it off your skin. "Why'd you do that?"

He tilted his head and grinned 'innocently'. "I wonder if the underwear you're wearing matches that cute bra of yours."

Angered, you figured two could play at that game. Besides, who said it was fair for him to shoot you when you weren't even armed?

You noticed a passing kid with a super soaker and quickly asked him, "Hey, is it okay if I get Zao back with that?"

Excited, he smiled and handed it over. "Yes, yes!~"

Zao's jaw dropped, highly offended. "...Jiang, you traitor!"

The child named Jiang simply giggled and ran away. As soon as you turned around, you were face-to-face with Zao and decided not to waste the opportunity. "Who said this kitten was afraid of water?" You taunted as you pumped the gun and lowered it to his crotch. "Target locked," You pressed the trigger.

He looked down and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. "This is why I hate kids..."

In a moment of boldness, you laughed loudly and teased, "Looks like we can see our little friend.~"

He blushed heavily and gritted his teeth _, "You're_ the perv." He accused, but you could see a hint of laughter in his eyes. "You just did that to see the outline of my dick."

As soon as he acknowledged what you'd been trying to do (as payback for him wetting your t-shirt), you busted into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"I'm gonna get you back so much worse, just watch!" He raised his own super soaker and launched towards you as you tried to compose yourself and run away. The buckets of colorful water balloons weren't too far away and those looked like the perfect little grenades to hurl at him.

About ten minutes into the water war (some of the kids had joined your team against Zao while others sided with him), you were hiding in a corner re-loading — er, re-filling — your water gun when someone familiar stepped around the corner.

"Uh... _____?"

Your eyes shot up to him. "Oh hey Allen. How was your thing?"

He grimaced. "It was lame. Anyways... what the hell are you doing?"

"Water fight with Zao and some of the neighbor kids."

After a few seconds, he facepalmed. "And how do you _not_ expect me to say you two should get together?"

You blushed for what felt like the tenth time today. "Allen..."

"Tch," He looked down at the cement and smiled. "You two are idiots."

Now finished filling up your super soaker, you turned off the faucet and asked, "So why exactly?"

He chin-pointed to the ongoing water fight. "Do I really needa say anything?"

"Hah... I guess not." Shrugging it off, you faced him again. "Why don't you join us?"

"Yeah Allen, join!" You heard Zao call as he started on his way over.

You hissed as you saw your current nemesis and raised your plastic weapon. "Step no closer." You laughed and saw him raise his arms as you managed to hit his hat and knock it off his head.

"Pshhh, locked and loaded." He growled as he drilled you right on the shoulder.

"I, uh... needa get home. Have fun kiddos." Allen briefly waved goodbye as he started on his way home.

Soon after, you realized that this was your best day since moving to Chinatown, San Francisco.

_I wonder if the rest of my summer days will be like this..._ you thought to yourself as you laughed with Zao, both of you drenched.

Luckily for you, they would.

This was only the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i said i was re-writing this but so far i've only updated some of the dialogue... hmm


	4. He's Not All Smiles

Your summer days slowly began to pass. Your parents were finally done unpacking and the condo felt both stylish and comfortable, especially with the trendy new decorations your mother had picked up from Ikea. You even came to like this house better than your old one, but you missed your friends every day and wished they could meet Allen.

You weren't sure how, but you two had become the strangest of close friends. You'd talked to him nearly every day, which actually came to no surprise seeing as he was your next door neighbor. He seemed to be home most of the day—which was when you usually hung out with him—and often left during the evenings to go out with some people you didn't know. He'd asked if you wanted to tag along a few times, but you'd always declined.

Besides, you'd made him promise to introduce you to his friends in a more 'formal' way, such as at his house instead of some crazy place like the streets of Chinatown where there's constant chaos coming at you from all angles.He'd once told you _"I'm not even sure if you could handle my friends."_ It made you curious to meet them, but you were honestly in no rush to do so.

Currently, you were lying on your back, staring up at a ceiling covered with rap and motorcycle posters. Bored, you glanced to the side—and something of interest caught your eye.

"Allen, oh my god," You chuckled. "You're a precious little vegan baby."

"Shuddup." Was his charming, grunted response.

You laughed at his clearly embarrassed answer as you stared at the bumper sticker on his bed's headboard that read, _"Animal lovin' ain't shovin' 'em in the oven."_ It was pretty adorable to imagine him actually purchasing that and placing it on his own furniture.

You rolled over for a more comfortable position on his bed while he sat at his desk on his laptop. It wasn't unusual for you to spend your entire afternoon at his place, and he didn't mind; he didn't seem to do much. His parents were usually at work too so you both had time to kill.

"Ugh, I'm so bored these days. Aren't there things to do around here?"

He made a big, dramatic show of sighing, swiveling around in his chair to face you and rolling his eyes. "There's _tons_ to do here; you just don't get out enough."

"I don't know anyone," You reminded him.

"Right. Well," He shrugged and turned back to his laptop. "You should come to a party with me and Zao sometime; I can introduce you to the crew." He chuckled at the last word, perhaps imagining his friends' reactions to meeting someone like you. From what Zao had described, they certainly weren't used to outsiders.

Knowing Allen, going to a party with him and Zao _plus_ meeting their friends there would probably be insane. The people around Chinatown were shady and most either did drugs or were alcoholics—at least the ones who threw the parties that Allen and his friends went to, you knew that for sure. "I might pass on that one."

Allen leaned far back in his chair, his head upside down on the headrest as he stared at you and whined, "Oh come onnnnn. Don't be boring.~"

You tried to think of an excuse. _Go to a party? After what Zao told me about them? Watch girls be all over him?!_ You squeezed your eyes shut in disgust. _No thanks_. "Um..." You decided to change the subject. "Hey, we should go see a movie later."

He cracked a smile, "Are you asking me on a date, dollface?"

You flinched and threw a pillow at him. "Pshhh, y-you know we're just hanging out!"

He laughed softly and clutched the pillow (unfortunately he'd caught it), "Yeah, I know..."

"Look for a movie for us to watch," You suggested as you rolled around on his bed some more. It had a nice scent to it; something like a mix of Allen and his cologne.

As you grabbed another pillow to hug, yet another object caught your eye. This time, it wasn't the sticker. "Hey... is that a yearbook?" You reached for the thin blue-and-red textbook, which soon proved to indeed be a high school yearbook.

"Yup." His attention was back on his laptop screen.

The cover was still glossy, so it must be fairly new. It had been lying on his nightstand when you'd noticed it. "Can I look through it?"

"Knock yourself out."

Glancing at the name and school year, you confirmed that this was Allen's time as a sophomore. "Hmm..."

"You're going to that school with me, right?"

You opened it up to the first page. "Yeah,"

"Cool. I'm gonna be a senior. You?"

"Junior," You replied as you flipped through the pages of clubs and staff.

"Huh. A grade below than Zao would have been." He drummed his fingers against his desk, and you looked up. He'd suddenly appeared a bit uneasy.

"Uh... Are you saying Zao would've been a senior? Also, what do you mean by _would_ have been?" You repeated, slightly suspicious.

He shrugged, looking almost guilty. "Well, yeah... he's a truant, you know?"

Your eyes widened. "A truant? You mean like... a dropout?"

"Yeah, I don't know why he did it, all's I know is if I skipped that much school, I'd get my ass handed to me by my dad and that would fuckin' suck." He ran a hand through his auburn hair and groaned. "...I'll never understand how that kid lives his life."

You stared down at the sheets. "Zao..." It's bad enough that he's a dealer, but he doesn't even go to school either? _Why?_ Not that you'd want drug deals taking place on your soon-to-be school campus, but Allen was right that time he said Zao was... 'mysterious'

"Anyway," He seemed to be avoiding questions. He slid off his desk chair and plopped down on the bed next to you. "so this yearbook... I think it's back when Zao still went here." He took it from your hands and flipped some pages to the freshman section. "Haha, yep. Right there." He gave you back the book and pointed to a picture.

You looked.

"Oh..." your jaw dropped. "my..." you inhaled deeply. "-goddddddddddd."

Allen peered into your face and grinned. "Er, like what you see?"

You literally squealed. Out loud. "Ninth-grade Zao!" You dropped the book into your lap and cupped your face, grinning like a maniac. "So young! So adorable! So innocent I waNNA PINCH HIS CHEEKS!"

Allen tilted his head. "Well, he _was_ like, shorter back then. And smaller."

 _Shorter and smaller than he already is,_ you thought. "I can't believe this is _only_ a three-year difference between freshman him and current him. Like. Look at little Zao! Awwwwh!" He was smiling gently, as if the camera was an old friend. It wasn't one of those teasing smiles you were used to seeing, and he wasn't wearing a hat either. His long hair was neatly pulled back with only a few strands hanging down the sides of his face. You wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for those unmistakable crimson irises.

 _Next time I see him, I'm so teasing him about getting bitch-slapped by puberty,_ you internally schemed.

"He was such a dork, but... a cool dork, I guess."

Come to think of it, you hadn't seen him for about two weeks (not that you'd been counting). "Where's he been, anyway?"

Allen avoided eye contact. "He's been, uh... 'working'."

"Hm? Like, where—"

Before you could finish the question, Allen jumped up. "-Hey, _____." He grabbed a baseball bat from behind his nightstand. "You said you were bored, right? Lemme teach you how to play ball the right way." He latched onto your wrist and brought you up, giving you no time to refuse.

You couldn't help but feel he was avoiding questions again.  
  


** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **   
  


It was a warm, sunny day in Portsmouth Square, as usual. It wasn't too packed today, which was good.

However, you were 'playing baseball' with Allen, which meant no fun.

It was the same park in which you'd met him. In fact, he'd been forcing two of his friends to play ball with him too at the time. Now you could understand why they must have walked out on him. "Allen..." You complained as he hit another homerun.

"WOOO, ANOTHER ONE BABY!" He threw the bat down and looked to see if anyone had been watching. He smirked when he noticed some girls who had been eyeing him and then quickly turned to you, "Get that one for me too, thanks." and then sauntered over to the other females.

You sighed, but what was there to expect? You pretty much knew before getting here that by 'baseball' Allen had meant he'd be hitting while you were the one going after all the balls.

As you chased after one, you were dismayed to see it roll down a row of steps and further into the park. By the time you got to it, you'd probably be entirely across the park from Allen. _Oh well_ , you thought to yourself. _Next time, I'm so having Mom take us to batting cages._

"There you are..." You said aloud as you noticed the ball finally stop rolling near a bench. Once you picked it up, you glanced around a little. You hadn't been in this part of the park before, and there were a lot of stone walls with some interesting carvings on the sides. A row of tables were nearby, and you noticed one of which was crowded with males in dark clothing.

Their hair was dark to match. But, once you gave a double take, you happened to recognize one of them. "Isn't that..." Yeah, that was definitely the short Asian that had been with Zao that one night when you went out to get dishwasher soap. Zao had been nudging him rather playfully and the two seemed close. "I wonder if he knows where Zao is..." You quietly thought aloud.

As if sensing your eyes on him, the raven-haired friend of his looked up and successfully caught your eye. Even from this distance, you could detect similar blood-red irises. _Could they possibly be related-?_

"Hey," His voice was soft, but you managed to hear it. "You're that girl."

You self-consciously fixed your scruffy shirt, "Huh...?" You weren't exactly sure how he knew you.

He vaguely motioned for you to get closer. "Come over here."

Curious, you stepped over to him. Two other Asians were sitting next to him; one of which looked shy and sweet, while the other looked irritated and unapproachable.

"What do you want?" You hadn't meant for it to sound hostile, but you really wanted to know why the red-eyed one had called you over.

"I'm Kuro." He'd evaded your question. At that moment, he glanced at the kinder-looking male of the group. "Jin? Isn't that the girl Zao won't shut up about?"

As soon as you heard his name, you nearly jumped out of your skin. _What? How do they know him? And did he really talk to them about me?!_

The one named Jin glanced at you and smiled. He was very young and cute — in a boy-next-door type of way. "Aww you're right; she is! And Big Brother was right too," He quickly looked you up and down, "Yup, seems like an innocent little thing to me!~"

The intimidating one was smoking as he smirked at you and added, "Not too sexy, but she works. Especially for _hyung_."

A short silence followed, but was soon broken by Jin. "Okay okay, ummm..." He stood up nervously, blushing a little. "Alright, so hi!" He waved in a both awkward and cute way, "I'm Jin, and this is Yonsu. He's from South Korea, isn't that cool?" He patted the smoking male's head, then pointed to Kuro. "That's Kuro, b-but he already introduced himself and... yeah..." Jin looked down to the ground, his cheeks a flaming red. He was clearly flustered and it was kind of adorable.

"You are still absolutely horrible at making first impressions, Jin." Kuro commented without emotion as he thumbed through his phone. "Your English still needs work, too."

" _Hey_. He just moved here from Hong Kong, cut him some slack," Yonsu glared at Kuro even if he wasn't looking at him.

 _Still, the way he defended Jin was pretty sweet,_ you thought to yourself. _Maybe these guys aren't so bad. They know Zao, and I totally thought Yonsu would be mean when he actually seems protective of Jin—_

"I'm sorry but, awh! Look at you!" Jin stepped closer to you and cupped your face in admiration.

You were quickly rendered speechless; you hadn't expected him to grab you this way. At least he was gentle... _and he called Zao 'Big Bro_ _ther_ _'? This kind of affection must run in the family..._ you chuckled.

"You're so cute that I could just eat you up! Is it not fair that I might want you to myself?" His words seemed flirtatious but on his face was a genuinely longing expression, albeit a bit childish-looking.

Since his face had gotten so much closer to yours, you could see how young he truly was. This kid had to be at least two or three years younger than you. Maybe about the age Zao was in the yearbook picture you saw of him earlier. However, Jin's long hair was light brown and choppy with quite a few uneven layers. It was pulled into a small ponytail, but thick pieces of hair hung down his face and his bangs were side-parted.

"Uh..." You weren't sure how to respond to his question.

"I'd listen to Big Bro forever and ever, but you're just so...! Hm," His excited expression turned to confusion in mere seconds. "W-What's the English word again..."

Yonsu snorted, "'Tempting'?"

Kuro looked you up and down. "I really don't see what's so special about you..."

"I heard you're nice," Yonsu got up and slinked over to you. He pried Jin's soft hands off you and looked into your eyes with a grin, "You sure are quality around here."

"Um...!" At this point, you had no idea what you were doing here. "Who _are_ you guys again?" And by this, you didn't just mean their names.

"Oh, right." Kuro placed an elbow on the table and leaned his head against his hand. Looking bored, he told you, "We're roommates of Zao's. He talks about you non-stop and it's annoying."

At this, you blushed. "H-He does...?"

Jin nodded shyly. "It's true."

Yonsu stared you down. "So... you're his 'kitten', huh?" His pale green eyes were calculating.

 _Huh... that's a strange eye color for an Asian..._ you couldn't help but think. Yonsu's hair was quite normal—short, wavy, and black— _except_ for that one curl. It stuck out in a peculiar way. Besides his hair and eyes, his apparel was normal; a loose black-and-white hanbok.

"Nice to meet you guys..."

Jin tried to grin at you, but it looked pained—his thick eyebrows were knitted together with worry. "If-If it's okay with you, wanna smoke with us sometime?"

You would have bet your life that you didn't hear him correctly. "Like... cigarettes?" He couldn't have _possibly_ meant anything else, right?

"No, I meant opium!"

 _No way..._ This sweet little fifteen-year-old did _not_ just ask you to do drugs with him in that innocent baby voice...?!

He giggled and swished around his oversized fire-red sleeves. The shirt appeared to be cut around the neck hole so that it revealed his collar bone and tips of his shoulders. Black tank-top straps were visible, which matched his all-black slacks. He blinked his large amber eyes at you and smiled, "So would you, _____?"

"That'd be cool." Kuro monotonously added.

 _Are they seriously all hitting on me?!_ You nearly screamed at yourself _. What did I do to deserve this?_ Frankly, you feared you'd die from all the cute Asian boy attention.

You waved off their offers of smoking together, "If you're roommates, how _exactly_ do you know Zao—?"

"-They're _unfortunately_ like my little brothers."

Oh, crap.

When did he get here? And did he hear you asking about him?! "Ah... I was wondering when you'd show up," You stated as you swiveled around to face the owner of the sudden voice.

Zao was standing there and looking exasperated. His arms were crossed, a scowl was on his face, and you were sure he was _tapping his foot_ like a disappointed parent would. He sighed before begrudgingly saying, "Kuro. Yonsu. Jin. You didn't touch her, did you?"

Kuro looked unamused while Yonsu and Jin frantically waved their arms in the classic "I'm innocent" manner. "Nope, no way Big Brother!" They answered in frenzied unison.

Zao didn't look comfortable with being called 'big brother', but he shrugged it off and told them in an uncharacteriscally serious voice, _"Fàng guò tā. Wǒ gào sù guò nǐ tā shì wǒ de."_

They nodded carefully, and Jin gave him an apologetic smile.

Zao grinned back as if he'd never been upset. "Good.~" He then turned to you and gave you a two-fingered salute. "Hey kitten, long time no see."

"Yeah, I was literally just asking Allen today where you've been." You decided to leave out seeing his freshman year school photo. You could save that for another day when there wasn't an awkward air around the several Asians here.

He looked like he was about to say something, but forgot about it the moment you said you'd been asking around for him. "Wait, you did? I-I mean, of course you did! Heh... missed me, didn't you?" He gave you a sensuous smile, but it was too late for that charm to work on you. After all, you'd already caught that clearly nervous sound of his voice in the beginning of that statement.

"Anyway," He must have remembered what he'd been going to say before you distracted him. "...Let's get the hell out of here." He gripped your wrist before you could react and started tugging you out of the park.

"Whoa, wait! I didn't get to say bye to Jin—"

"-You don't need to do that..."

"But he was so nice and cute."

"Tch, that little pyro is a major troublemaker. He's not cute."

"He's a... troublemaker?" He hadn't quite seemed like the type.

The two of you were nearing the park exit. "Oh, and you know... I have to get back to Allen..." With all the new faces, you'd nearly forgotten about giving the baseball back to him. _He's probably still flirting with those girls,_ you realized. "But hey, why do we have to leave anyway?" You weren't entirely comfortable around Kuro and the others, but you wanted to know why Zao became territorial around them.

"Hmm," He was still holding your wrist as he fast-walked out of Portsmouth Square. Peering at you from over his shoulder, he crooned, "I want my darling to be safe.~"

It didn't click yet. "Who's your 'darling'?"

He facepalmed with his free hand. "You, dummy."

Oh... _what?_

"Safe? From them? Are you saying they're dangerous?"

By now, you were out of the park. He stopped walking and let go of your hand near an alley. Red-and-gold lanterns hung overhead and there was a smoke shop nearby.

"Mm, no, but they're... sketchy."

You chuckled. "Jin? 'Sketchy'?" The words didn't work together in your mind.

"Try 'Kuro, Yonsu, _sketchy'_."

You looked down at the gravel and nodded. "Ah. Works."

He nodded back. "Yup. And you're gonna be mine soon, so I don't need their hands all over you."

Your heart instantly picked up its pace, "What? I-I'm not yours..." You avoided eye contact with him so he wouldn't see your flushed face.

"Like I said, you _will_ be.~"

 _Is he being serious? Does he really mean all the things he says to me?!_ You furiously thought to yourself. You'd thought that all his teasing would die down after a couple days, but it never did. You weren't sure if he flirted like this with everyone or not and it made you uneasy. "Anyway..." You had more important things to ask him, like the reason why you hadn't seen him for two weeks. "Where have you been? Is it true you were out dealing like Allen said?"

He placed his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the tall brick wall. "Among other things."

"Sorry if it's not my business, but... why do you do things like that anyway?"

He was gazing into the summer sky as he responded, "To help make a living. Those losers at the park? They live with me, but they hardly help out with the rent. Also, they're not really my brothers, just so you know."

You exhaled, "Thought so."

"Even if they're not actual family, they, like, look up to me or something, and it's really weird. I think they only do it because of my position in... well, never mind."

"And, you don't like it?"

"That they rely on me? Er, no... but they're okay company."

You grinned at him. "So you're an unwilling older brother."

"That's it."

"Hmm," You hummed lightly as you leaned against the wall next to him. This was probably your most-normal conversation with him. "So... anything else about you that I don't know about?"

He exhaled quietly, "Um. Well... you know I don't go to school, right?"

"I heard. If you don't mind me asking, what do your parents think of that?"

He shrugged. "They live in Shanghai..."

Your eyes widened and you moved to look at him, but he was now staring at the ground. "You're, what, seventeen? And you don't live with a guardian?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Just with Kuro, Yonsu, and Jin."

"And... _their_ parents...-"

"-Live across the world too. In Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, to be exact."

You could barely take in this information. It was hard to wrap your head around all these kids living on their own, struggling to get money with no adult guidance to help them out. "That's..."

"Sounds insane, right? Well... we're technically legal adults. Emancipated minors."

_So their parents are legally freed from responsibility of them, and they moved to Chinatown, San Francisco, dropped out of school to work with drug deals to get money to keep their house and make a living... and they're all... under eighteen... the youngest is fifteen..._

All you could think next was _why_. They couldn't possibly want that much freedom and responsibility, did they? "Uh... if I'm not saying too much—"

"-Stop worrying about if you're bothering me. You can ask me anything." You half-expected him to turn telling you that privilege into some kind of flirtatious advance, but he kept his head down. His arms were still crossed. You'd never seen him look this serious. _He must have been wanting to tell me all this for a while,_ you realized.

"Why don't you live with your parents?"

He was quiet for a few moments. The brim of his hat shaded his eyes so you couldn't properly read his expression. By that unsteady frown on his lips, you could tell that something was bothering him. _He said I could ask... even if he wasn't ready to talk about these things?_

"I..." His voice was soft, quiet. He sighed and backed off the wall, to which you did the same and tried to face him.

"...Are you okay?"

He looked somber. You'd never seen him look this sad and it caused you to miss his usual personality. "I can't... I don't want to... say..." He mumbled quietly, avoiding eye contact. "Sorry... I said you could ask but...-"

"-Zao." _He's so... complicated,_ you thought. _He's so much more than what he seem_ _ed_ _... He must have been through so much... I can't begin to imagine why he can't return home_... seeing him this dismal made you feel melancholic yourself. You wanted to see him smile; you wanted to just hug his sadness away. "I'm so sorry..."

He always wore a smile, when really, he was hiding pain.

He did such a great job at convincing everyone that he was happy.

How did he do it? And why?

"I... should go. I made you ditch Allen back there. I'll—"

You saw him turn away, but not before you caught him rubbing at the corner of his eye. You feared he might be crying. "-No." You grabbed his elbow and yanked him back to you. "You need a hug, Zao."

Your arms instantly wrapped around his torso and you pressed your face to his chest, making sure to squeeze him for comfort. "I'm... here for you, okay?"

Maybe he kept all these feelings bottled up. You didn't know why he left China, or his family behind, but there had to be a good reason for it. One that hurt him just to speak about. You couldn't let him hold this in. "I don't like to see you sad..." You murmured into his shirt as you embraced him tightly. "but, it's okay to cry..."

You couldn't see his face, but he squeezed you back. "_____..." His voice shook, but there was audible shock as he said your name.

"Yes?"

"I can't believe... that you're doing this..."

It struck you that he probably never had anyone who tried to console him. _He_ was the older brother figure at home, _he_ was the one with the responsibility; _he_ was supposed to be the leader that never showed weakness. His friends didn't work in this type of situation, and neither did any selfish girl that he met around here.

"Why are you... like, so great?" His voice got quieter with each word and he pressed you even closer to him. "I'm... not a good person," He lowly admitted. "I really don't deserve you..."

At that moment, you were overcome with a desire to keep him happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when ur reading aloud to an empty auditorium but kudos still make u happy,,,, uwu


	5. He's the Jealous Type

You were lying on Allen's living room couch reading a book one summer afternoon. The sunlight filtered through the home's drapes and casted a comfortable glow. You were enjoying your time until Allen came over — blocking your ray of sunlight — and he scowled at you with his hands on his hips. "What are you doing?"

You set your novel down. "Reading a book. You should try it sometime."

He tilted his head at you. "Why are you reading a book at _my_ house?"

He had a point. "I don't know..." You felt just at home here as in your own house and sometimes you forgot which you were in.

He shrugged, "Well you can come chill here whenever you want, but for today..." He stared into your face and leaned down, "Get out unless you want to meet my friends."

_His friends? Yikes._ You immediately jumped up, and your book slid to the ground. "W-What? Are they coming?"

"Duh, I invited them."

"Why?"

He squinted his eyes at you in a 'you're-too-comfortable-here' look. "I forgot you were here. And why are you so scared of them, anyway? Just meet them already."

You reached down to pick up your book and sighed. "What are they like? And how many are coming?"

"Just two. One is fashion trash and the other is baking trash. They're huge fuckin' dorks. You'd like them."

Your jaw dropped. "They like... _fashion_ and _baking_?"

He pouted. "What did you _think_ they'd like?"

What they liked didn't matter. You just hoped they were nice. "Uh... sure, I'll meet them."

"Good. They'll be here in five."

You tried to read a bit more as you waited, but Allen turned on the TV so it was hard to focus. Soon after, the doorbell rang.

"Did they really just... ring the doorbell?"

Allen stood up and rolled his eyes, "They're not barbarians."

You chuckled. For some reason, you'd expected them to just barge in. Maybe they'd be polite.

To think they'd 'be polite' was apparently an understatement, you later realized.

You were still sitting on the couch when Allen went up and opened the door. Voices immediately filled the hallway: "And I was like, 'Honey, that's just what you get when you double-cross me'. Oooh, _ciao_ , babe! It's been a while, hehe."

Your face twisted into a look of perplexity when you turned around and saw a sparkling blonde Italian affectionately wrap his arms around Allen. "You're looking great as usual, darling!~ Still working out, hmmm?"

"Flavio..." Allen groaned when the said male squeezed him tightly. "Careful, you're gonna wrinkle your Gucci shirt."

"Ah, you're right!" He cried in response and instantly let go of him, much to Allen's approval.

Unfortunately for him, the hugs weren't over yet. "We've missed you, poppet!" From your hiding spot (?) behind the couch, you noticed a shorter boy with strawberry-blonde hair and freckles greet him cheerfully.

"What's up with your girly nicknames for me... _both_ of you..." He grumbled.

"It's because we love you, Allen dear!~" The one with the British accent basically hug-tackled him, and they looked so animated together that you could have sworn you saw fluttering hearts surround them.

The obviously Italian one whipped off his orange Aviator sunglasses and peered in your direction. "So who's this cutie playing hide-and-seek with us?"

You stumbled away from the couch, "U-Um..." You fixed your clothing, which had shifted due to the sudden movement. As you looked at them properly, you almost felt _underdressed_. Allen was only wearing a white tank top and black basketball shorts, but his friends looked ready for a freakin' photoshoot.

More specifically, the one named Flavio looked like he was scheduled to strut down a catwalk. His hair was golden blonde and styled precisely, how _else_ did he get that cute heart-shaped curl to stand out? He was wearing attention-seeking clothes with designer logos, namely Gucci and Prada. His round pink irises were most notable though, along with his multi-colored scarf. _This must be the 'fashion trash' Allen was talking about,_ you recalled.

He waved at you, wiggling his ringed fingers. "Hi there _bella_ , what is your name?"

You smiled at him. Both he and the other boy seemed very friendly and sweet. "I'm _____, Allen's neighbor."

He grinned back, "No need to hide from us sugar; we don't bite.~"

Allen crossed his arms and snorted. "And she was seriously afraid to meet you guys. That's _so_ fuckin' funny."

Flavio laughed and you shot Allen a look. "I wasn't 'afraid'...!"

Luckily, the other friend interrupted the potential teasing. "'Ello! I've heard so much about you, little miss _____! Allen just adores you, don't you know?~ It really is quite precious, I swear it! He always talks abou-"

Teeth clenched, Allen stepped over and karate-chopped the Brit's head before he could finish. "-Shut up Oliver."

In response, Oliver tearfully rubbed his head. "Ouchies..."

Allen casted you a sideways glance, "...You heard nothin'." He grumbled with a pout.

"A-Anyhoo..." Oliver fixed his near-pink hair and turned to face you, "It's such a pleasure to meet you! I do hope we can be friends." He sent you the most sugary smile you've ever seen in your life and you knew right at that moment that you would treasure such a lovely friend.

"Hey girl, you should already know that we're on your side. If any bitches give you trouble, Flavi's got your back, kk?" Flavio blew you a kiss and Oliver nodded happily.

You gigged a bit, "Sure, thanks."

With new friends like these, you knew living here in Chinatown just got a bit more interesting.  
  


** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **  
  


The four of you were lounging on the living room couches as you chatted about anything and everything. These people were definitely a talkative bunch, and the conversations went from complaining to fanboying to debating to reminiscing to laughing and swapping stories. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about, and the conversation flowed easily.

The way Allen, Oliver, and Flavio talked made it obvious that they'd all known each other most of their lives, grew up together, hung out often, never lost touch and always were comfortable around each other. They were so open about how they felt — not hiding a single thought. Allen even let go of that 'badass' façade that he usually kept up around strangers or even Zao. With Oliver and Flavio, he was completely himself. Still an asshole, but he didn't mind showing his softer, calmer (and sometimes even affectionate) side among them.

Naturally, you saw this side of him all the time, but only when you were alone with him. It was nice to see him act this way around other people, and you regretted never agreeing to meet Oliver and Flavio till now. All this time you could have already spent with them, getting to know them more...-

"-And that's how I found out Lutz was allergic to shellfish. Can you believe it?" Oliver cupped his cheeks with his hands and peered at you. "Hm, miss _____? Are you quite alright? You've been spacing throughout the course of my story..."

"Oh... yeah, totally." You looked into his face, and his eyes met yours. "...Wow," You breathed. For the first time since he walked in, you noticed his unique and eccentric pair of eyes:

Large, round, sky-blue irises shined with an innocent sparkle. More intriguingly, there were neon pink swirls around the blues. His eyelashes were thick and strawberry-blonde, framing his mesmerizing eyes that reminded you of a circus. His clothes seemed to match his iris hues; a sky-blue bowtie was around his neck and over his white dress shirt was a pink sweater vest.

"Oliver... your eyes are stunning."

He grinned at your admiration, which only made his cute freckles more prominent. "Thank you very much, sweetheart! Yours are lovely as well, of course.~"

Allen, who was sitting on your left (contrary to Oliver who was on your right), made a mock noise of surprise. " _No_ way, _____ is actually checking out someone else besides Zao?" He purposely jaw-dropped and rose a hand to his parted lips, " _Shocker_."

You felt blood rush to your cheeks at Allen's teasing, and it got worse when both Flavio and Oliver gasped in the most un-manliest of ways. "Excuse me what?!" Flavio practically shrieked.

"Madam, you have a crush on that opium-addicted exhibitionist?!" Oliver looked genuinely surprised. "He is one of my best friends, but I never imagined him to be your type..."

Allen laughed quietly. "You're calling Zao an exhibitionist, but I think we know who the real one is..." He raised an eyebrow in Flavio's direction.

The Italian immediately waved it off, "Yes yes of course, but back the fuck up?!" He jumped over the coffee table that had been separating you from him and got in your face, "Honey, do you seriously like Zao?" He was glowing with excitement and clasping his palms together, as if prepared to jump for joy and clap his hands at your answer.

Suddenly, a memory of your first day in Chinatown with Allen came to mind.

_"Ohhhhhh MAN!" He laughed energetically, "You wouldn't want Flavio to hear of this, ahahaha! He'll literally go full fanboy and force you two to get together."_

"...Oh god." You facepalmed.

"Mam _ma Mia_ _!"_ Flavio squealed as he pulled away from you and twirled around. "You do like Zao!~"

Oliver giggled cheerily, "How adorable! He'll be so happy that someone really actually likes him for once, hehe!"

Your blushing intensified as you protested, "N-No, you've got it all wrong! I never said I liked him... and, don't tell him that either!"

"But why ever not?" Flavio blinked excessively at you with a fake angel grin on his lips. "I can set you two up real easy.~"

"No-"

"-She's still in denial," Allen interrupted.

Oliver leaned into you, "Wait a tic... don't tell me you haven't sorted out your feelings for him yet?"

His accurate question that you indeed wanted to deny only made the heat on your skin worsen. "...I-I don't have any feelings for him...!"

"You hesitated." Allen monotonously stated.

_Okay... I can't deny that I get nervous around him..._ you thought to yourself, trying to calm down a bit. _Just the thought of him makes me nervous...! And then there's what he told me last time we talked... he opened up to me, and I..._

"Oh my goodness gracious, what if he likes you too?" Oliver was twirling a strand of pink hair as he smiled at no one in particular.

"I don't think that's true, and besides, I... h-hey Flavio, what are you doing...?" Your voice rose in suspicion as you saw the blonde texting away on his floral-cased iPhone. He had been too into the conversation to get distracted now...

He looked up bashfully. "I... may or may not have just invited him over."

"...You _what!?"_ You were internally screaming. _Shitshitshit_. You just knew that they were going to tease you and then make it obvious about how you felt towards him. "Flavio, you better not tell him anything about this!" By now, your face felt like it had set aflame.

He giggled down at his phone, "And he's nearby too! How convenient.~"

After a moment, you groaned and fell face-down into the couch. Or at least, you'd intended to.

You'd completely forgotten that Allen was slouching right next to you, and you wound up face-planting into his lap. "Guuuuh..." Frankly, you were too mortified to even care.

Instead of making fun of you further, he seemed to give a bit of sympathy. "Told'ya not to let Flavio know." He chuckled as he nonchalantly began petting your hair.

"...It's literally all your fault he found out," You mumbled irritably into his basketball shorts.

"Now when he comes in, let's conduct an experiment," Flavio began, but basically only Oliver was listening. He didn't seem to notice. "_____ still isn't sure about her feelings for Zao, yes?"

"Flavio..." You warned, but your face was still hidden in Allen's lap. You seemed to have no energy for arguing today, especially with all that embarrassment taking up your mental stamina.

He began whispering into Oliver's ear, and Allen was halfheartedly scrolling through Instagram as you laid there to regain your dignity. Or at least until you weren't blushing anymore from their Zao teasing, which seemed to go a long way.

You weren't sure how much time had passed, but it didn't feel long. Soon after, the front door swung open. Unlike Oliver and Flavio, he wasn't classy enough to ring the doorbell. "Yo yo yo, what is up?"

You squeaked and shot up, but it was too late — Zao had already seen you lying on Allen's lap. "N-Nothing." You had a serious case of the jitters and they caused you to believe he'd been asking only you the question, which obviously he hadn't. It bugged you that you'd responded as if being accused of something when you answered.

Zao gave you a bewildered look. "...Were you just blowing him?"

Flavio busted into a fit of laughter, Oliver wrinkled his nose in disgust and Allen threw his phone. He frantically pointed down, " _Shorts. Are. On."_

"Oh..." Zao looked dazed for a moment.

Oliver gave him a sly smile that honestly didn't fit his sweet face. "Would you be jelly if she was, Zao-muffin?"

"Huh..." He turned his confused stare to the pinkette and took a step back.

Flavio was examining his nails as he mentioned, "You should have seen how close they were this entire afternoon.~"

Allen looked amused. He smirked at you before joining his friends in their 'experiment', "Can't help that she's so cute and obedient."

Even though it was embarrassing, you were intrigued to see such an array of new expressions on Zao's face. You'd never seen him look this puzzled or bothered by anything, and it made it better to know all these new looks were because of you. Still... "Don't listen to them, Zao."

He stood his ground. "What's going on here?"

Oliver dusted off imaginary angel wings, "Not a thing poppet, what gave you the idea that something was amiss?"

By now, he knew they were acting strangely. "...Guys-"

"-Jealous yet?" Flavio analyzed him, searching his anatomy up and down for envious body language.

_Whatever they're trying to do, they suck at it..._ you realized after a few seconds of silence.

"About what?"

Flavio flipped his hair and laughed, "That _____ and Allen are fucking!"

The outburst made your face burn ten shades of red all over again. "L-Lies!" You sputtered.

Zao didn't say anything for a moment. He was barely in the doorway. _And this is how_ _they_ _greeted him._ _They're_ _horrible..._ you felt guilty, but you weren't the one who started this.

He looked down to the carpet, the brim of his hat shading his eyes. "Is that what this is about..." He must have figured out this was why Flavio called him over. He knew the Italian fashionisto was always thirsty for gossip and showing off when he knew 'juicy things' before anyone else.

"Zao, they're just kidding around. Me and Allen aren't a thing." You got off the couch and faced him. _Why does it feel like I'm apologizing to him? We're not a couple either..._

But looking at his face, you knew exactly why you were telling him this. The visible hurt that crossed his face made it evident that this teasing made him feel a sort of pain that made your heart pound. _Does this mean he's jealous?_

The hints of discomfort were gone as soon as he could mask them. He smiled at you in an eerie, broken way. "...You sure about that, kitten?"

If the metaphor was real, you could have sworn you felt a piece of your heart shatter. "Of course?!"

"I hear you're at his place all the time..." His features looked shaken.

"What do you think she's usually doing here?" Flavio was thumbing through his phone. "They sure are convenient neighbors."

_He's taking this too far!_ Obviously Flavio didn't know when he was going over the joke's limit. Didn't he understand that Zao...—

That Zao what?

You didn't even know yourself.

But you knew that you didn't like putting fake stories into his mind.

"Convenient..." He repeated. He wouldn't look at you. "I always wondered about that, actually."

How many times did you need to say this? "I've never done anything with A-"

"-I just remembered I have a thing." Without waiting for you to respond, he threw the door open again and bolted out.

"Zao wait!" Allen was the first to stand up and call after him.

"Come back-" By the time you made it out the door, you saw that he was already gone. He couldn't hear you. With a heavy sigh, you trudged back inside.

"I... was not expecting that type of reaction from him..." Oliver murmured in visible incredulity.

Allen shot him a dirty look, "What _kind_ of reaction were you expecting from him? Don't ya know it hurts to find out the girl you like is into someone else?" He quickly glanced at you from over his shoulder, "And don't worry, I know it's not true. But Zao doesn't."

"Well..." Flavio laughed nervously. "A-At least we know Zao's definitely got something for you, _____..."

Allen irritably pushed the Italian's shoulder. "What the hell, man? That was kinda fucked up."

Allowing Allen to do the scolding, you sank back down to the couch. You couldn't stop thinking about Zao and how hurt he must have felt. You already knew about his home troubles, and didn't this just make everything worse for him?

_This really hurts me too..._ you realized. _Zao, I'm sorry..._

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Two days later, you still hadn't heard from Zao. You hadn't seen him around town either.

Oliver and Flavio had tried calling him multiple times, but he never picked up the phone. They knew they had upset him and they felt horrible for it. _"We want to apologize to him..."_ Flavio kept saying. _"But he won't even give us the chance..."_

You couldn't stay angry at them for long, especially after you saw how genuinely bad they felt. _They're not bullies..._ you thought to yourself _, they do care about him and worry about him. They're probably as close with him as they are with Allen._

You felt uneasy whenever you thought about how Zao wouldn't talk to you either _. I wonder what he's been up to._

Currently, you were at a restaurant with your family. It was an elegant four-star place right in the heart of Chinatown. Your father raised his glass over the table, "A toast to good luck in our new home."

Your glass clinked with his, along with your mother's.

They had started their new jobs today, and everyone was completely settled into the house. "It wasn't so bad moving here, right _____?" Your father asked you, a hopeful look in his eye.

Your mother watched you closely as well. They truly hoped you were okay with the move.

"I..." _-already have some amazing friends that I've already gotten some drama with, plus met a few other interesting characters._ "-I like it a lot. The people here are great."

After dinner, you were trailing behind your parents out of the restaurant's exit when you noticed someone leaning beside the doorway.

_He looks familiar._ He was shrouded in shadows and dressed in all black. You slowed just as the raven-haired enigma stood up straight and faced you. "Excuse me. You're _____, aren't you?"

You came to a full stop and looked him up and down. Yup, those red eyes and jet-black hair were unmistakable. "...Yeah! And... you're one of Zao's roommates, aren't you?"

Your parents heard you talking and craned their heads to you, but continued walking to the car. "Oh, another friend? How nice. We'll be on our way, but come back home before nine, okay _____?" Your mother waved goodbye to both you and your 'friend'.

_How can they be so chill about everything..._ you briefly wondered before you recalled you were lucky to have such laidback parents. "Sure, okay."

As soon as they were gone, the boy narrowed his intimidating eyes at you. "_____. Listen to me. You need to talk to Zao."

"Uh okay," You held up a hand to keep him from talking, "First, you should know that my friends and I have _tried_ talking to him like, a bunch of times. Second... um, what's your name again?"

He tilted his head at you and monotonously answered, "I'm Kuro. Remember?"

You averted your gaze, "Right. So, what's up with Zao? He hasn't been answering his phone."

Kuro started walking. "Follow me."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

He basically led you into an _anarchy_.

The house was a mess, loud music was pounding through the walls, delinquents were in and out of the place and constant smoke was billowed into the air by cigarettes and joints. Mainly the latter.

Once you got to their living room, you spotted Jin playing with a lighter and a can of air freshener. Placing the spewing chemicals by the lit ember, a large blaze of fire immediately shot two feet outwards. "Ahahahaha!" He laughed maniacally at the dangerous flame thrower-like result.

"Jin!" You ran over to him, "Stop that! You're gonna burn the house down."

Yonsu suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, a pipe between his lips. "Wouldn't be the first time he did that."

Kuro joined the circle and demanded, "Where is he? Tell him I brought her."

Jin saluted, "Aye, imperial ruler!" He dashed off and called over his shoulder, "By the way, hi _____! Nice to see you again, hehe!"

Yonsu eyed you down. "Sup? We've all missed you."

You were too busy looking around to answer him. "Why are all these people here? Just because you guys live alone, you throw parties every night or something...?"

Kuro shook his head. "These people have nowhere else to go, the same as we did. The least we can do is allow them to have some fun here for a while."

"Plus, it gets lonely, and I've got hella drugs to spare." Yonsu snorted, which led to a bit of coughing from the smoke that had still been in his lungs.

_So this place is basically a hideout for runaways?_ You shook off the thought. "Anyway..." You looked away from him and faced the most adult-like person in the room, which was unfortunately sixteen-year-old Kuro. "You brought me here to talk to Zao, right? Why couldn't he have answered one of my calls?"

"Got him!" Jin was dragging Zao by the arm. "Careful, he's all huggy and kissy when he's been drinking this much." With no other warning, Jin pushed him towards you.

"Zao...!" You gasped in surprised when he stumbled into your arms.

"Kittennnnnnn!~" He cooed, taking advantage of his security in your arms and nuzzling his warm face into your neck. "It feels like I haven't seen you in," -hic, "-foreverrrrr..." He squeezed his arms around your waist and purred into your neck.

You snapped your head back up to Kuro and silently worded _What the HELL?_

"He's been a mess like this because of you. Just fix things already so he'll stop drinking. He's annoying when he's drunk — more so than usual."

"I'm a kitten too; don't you want to pet me?" He giggled and rubbed his soft hair against you. "Touch me pretty please, meowwww~"

"Umm... are you okay?" You tried to pull away from him, but he caught your wrist.

"I'm not okay!" He wailed tearfully, "_____, _____..." He roughly cupped your face and pulled you into him. "Do you really like him? Do you like Allen?!" His voice was desperate, panicked, and slurred.

"I told you already..." The scent of alcohol wafted from him and you turned away slightly. "I don't like Allen. Not in that way, at least." The best thing to do was stay calm and collected around him. Also use short sentences.

"Y-You don't?" His pretty eyes widened in surprise, delight, and bewilderment all at the same time. His cheeks were already tinted pink from the intoxication, and his hat was missing. Without it, his brown hair was messier than usual and a few strands poked out in random places.

He let out a sob and fell to his knees, "Thank godddddddddd-"

Trying not to laugh, you lowered yourself to the ground as well. "Stop drinking so much. You're not being yourself. Okay?"

"My normal self is a kitty," He gave you an adorable pout, "And you haven't petted me yet."

"So... you're not mad at Flavio and Oliver? Where's your phone?" To get him to shut up about being a cat, you halfheartedly ran your fingers through his hair.

He made a happy noise and nodded, "My phone? I lost it." He was still grinning as he told you the unfortunate news.

"So..." You knew you had to repeat the other question. "You're not mad at me, or Flavio or Oliver...?"

He inhaled sharply, "I could never be mad at my darling!" He began crawling towards you, "Oh... and I-I'm sorry I ran away! I was sad because I thought you didn't like me!" He lunged into your lap and hugged your waist, burying his face into your legs. "I just like you so much and it made me really really jealous and sad 'cause I thought you liked Allen..." His drunken voice was muffled, but you felt a heat rush through your body at what he'd just said.

_Did he really just admit to...?_

You looked up, and sure enough, Kuro was watching. He'd heard it too. "...You shouldn't be so surprised?" He raised an eyebrow at you as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

_Did Zao really just say..._ still, you couldn't believe it. And it was while he was drunk too-! "Zao, get up..."

Instead, he held you tighter. You felt his lips brush against the tender skin of your inner thigh. "Mmf... you're so warm and soft..."

Your heart pounded against your chest and you felt a shiver run down your body. His lips felt so good, especially while in an erogenous zone such as _there_. "H-Hey... you should get off me..." Weak protest. You tried to close your legs, but you ended up feeling more of his face on the flesh of your inner legs. _I shouldn't have worn shorts..._

"Oh, I know! We should kiss!~" He rose his head up and instead, he leaned into your face. "I've thought about kissing you every day since you got here, isn't that embarrassing? Let's make it happen."

"I..." Your arms felt weak, and if you weren't already on the floor then you guessed your legs would have gave out by now. "We can't...!"

Honestly, you almost didn't want to stop him. But you knew you couldn't do this — he wasn't even sober. _Will he remember that he said he liked me when he's normal again?_ You guessed that he wouldn't. _Even if I want to kiss him, I can't let this happen right now..._

Without warning, you stood up. "Come here. I'll put you to bed."

He allowed you to grab his hand and pull him off the floor. "Will you kiss me goodnight?"

"...Maybe."

"Yeyyyyyyyy!~" Gleefully, he threw his arms up in the air and ran in the direction of his bedroom. Of course, he stumbled a few times and almost ran into a wall about twice, but that was a given seeing as he was still drunk off his ass.

By the time you navigated your way through the hallway and eventually found Zao's room, he was already passed out on the bed.

"Wow, what a dork..." You whispered to his knocked-out form. "You'll pay for this later."

You pulled out your phone to call Flavio and tell him what's been going on with Zao (that he'd basically been shutting himself away in his house while drinking his sorrows away for two days straight), but a certain mumbling caught your attention.

It was Zao. Slumbering in an awkward and ungraceful position — complete with one arm falling off the side of the bed — he murmured in his sleep, "One... kiss... just gimme one kiss..."

As if in a trance, you slid your phone back into your pocket.

Moments later, you fell into a fit of laughter.

You weren't surprised when your loud volume did nothing to wake up Zao.

Still grinning, you said aloud, "...What am I gonna do with you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lately i been wondering, "why did i let myself get so deeply involved in a character as OBSCURE as 2p china?" its a curse man


	6. His Arms Are Covered in Burn Marks

"Hey, Oliver."

No response.

"Um... Oliver?"

His eyes remained on the TV.

"Oli—"

"-Hush child," He held a pointer finger up at you as he continued to watch Steven Universe on your TV. "...Just look at that color palette!"

You sighed and adjusted to a more comfortable position on your bed. You'd invited Oliver over to talk about last night, but he'd claimed it was time for the 'new episode' and put on the gay space cartoon. Once it was over, he started gushing over Pearl again. "She's so precious and smart! And she reminds me of me.~"

"So uh..." You sat up and faced him. "You ready to talk now?"

He nodded eagerly, his attention fully shifted from the TV to you. "Of course poppet. How was yesterday? Is everything nice and dandy between you and Zao-kins again?"

You wrung your hands together and averted your eyes, "Well, actually..."

He gasped and momentarily covered his O-shaped lips with a freckled hand. "Oh no," He crept closer to you and sat cross-legged on your mattress. "What ever happened?"

You chuckled before answering. _He wouldn't be too surprised to hear that Zao was drunk, would he?_ "He was hammered when I got there. It was kind of funny and cute, but some... _things_ happened."

He was nearly bouncing by now. "Oh?~ Like what?"

"He... he said some things that I don't know if he would have said if he was sober."

Oliver's usual grin didn't falter. "Did he confess his love for you, hmm?"

Your skin warmed at the plainspoken guess, but he wasn't entirely wrong. "S-Sort of. Not really. I mean, he said he liked me. He kind of blurted it out though and didn't seem to realize it."

He tilted his head, "I see. In all honesty I'm surprised he hasn't accidentally divulged that he likes you before now."

"He's given some... huge hints! I'd just thought he was messing with me was all, and I just—" You paused. You didn't know what to say or what came next.

Oliver exhaled with that same Cheshire smile on his face. "He can be quite unpredictable, yes?" He leaned into you, his hands in his lap. "Now the question is: How do you feel about him?"

"He makes me happy." You'd said it without thinking.

"That's good, very good! How did you feel when he admitted to having a crush on you?!"

"Well, he'd been acting like a cat the whole time, and it was just another crazy thing he'd said to me. I... wasn't entirely shocked, but I didn't know how to react to it..."

He nodded in understanding. "And those words could have come from his heart. We all know he speaks his mind without holding back, and I doubt he'd change those ways while intoxicated. I'm sure he meant what he said, dearie."

You looked down at your comforter, toying with a stray string. "Right, right." There had never been a doubt in your mind that what he'd said wasn't true.

"You're a lovely girl, _____. Of course he likes you.~"

Your stomach coiled in elation at the thought. "But," You rasped, "You know of his, uh, 'habits'. I'm not sure if he can break them."

A few heartbeats later, he looked down somberly. "I understand; I've been trying to get him off those body-destroyers since I met him."

Another few seconds of silence passed until you heard knocking on the front door.

Your parents were in the kitchen, and you briefly wondered if it was Allen again until it was opened up and the usual 'Oh hey Allen' wasn't spoken.

"Ah, hello. Who might you be?" You heard your mother politely ask.

Oliver perked up and whisper-shouted at you, "I bet you three sugar cookies that it's Zao at your door!"

Your blood started pulsating at the guess and you hectically jumped off your bed, "What?! No way! What is he doing here?"

From the living room, you heard a voice reply: "I'm a friend of _____'s."

As if injected with a drug yourself, you started pacing your room. "Oliver, what do I do?!"

He pounced off your bed and gripped your shoulders, "Act natural! Act as if we weren't conversing about what we were previously conversing, hehe."

You latched onto his shoulders in return and whisper-screamed, "What?!" back at him.

He held up a pale finger and suggested, "Now is a good time to confront him about saying he liked you."

Vigorously, you shook your head. "Have we considered that he might not remember telling me that?"

He cleared his throat. "Ehem. Then, you would be what Allen would call, 'fucked'." He leaned away and smiled as if he'd discovered a whole new secret language.

You backed away from him and karate-chopped the top of his head, the same way Allen would. "You're not helping."

Through your open bedroom door, you heard your mother reply, "Oh, another friend? That's great; she won't be lonely when she starts her new high school."

You heard Zao chuckle nervously in response.

"But she sure got herself a lot of male friends, don't you think...?" Your dad mused assumably from the living room couch.

You heard your mother laugh. "At least she's made some friends at all with this crazy move—and _before_ the school year even started."

You were still in your room with Oliver. "You'll be just fine, poppet. Now, excuse me." He scurried out of your room into the safety of the kitchen with your mom, dad, and Zao. _What an awkward bunch,_ you thought mortifyingly. "I do apologize for having to leave this wonderful home early, but I just recalled that I have some important baking to do." Oliver called out as he stepped towards the front door.

You inched out of your room in time to watch him leave. "Oh, already?" Your mother stopped him. "What kind of baking? You're free to do it here, honey." It was obvious by now that he was your mom's favorite of your new friends. "I can even help you if you'd like!"

Oliver paused after tossing Zao a sheepish look. "Pardon my rudeness, madam, but your kitchen doesn't contain all the necessary items required for my quality baking. Everything must be in tip-top shape! Now, cheerio!" He laughed cheerfully as he waved farewell and slid out the door.

_He left me on purpose,_ you thought. _I can already hear him reasoning, 'you and Zao needed alone time!'..._ Taking in a deep breath, you walked out of the hallway to greet him. "Hey. What's up?"

He was still partially in the doorway. He cautiously peered over at your parents and noticed that they'd gone back to their business. Your father was watching TV and your mother was sorting through the cabinets. He must have concluded that they weren't listening and probably didn't mind if he did what he pleased. He snapped his head back to you and smiled delicately. "Can we talk?"

_Oh god,_ you thought tensely. _This is really happening._

Of course, his mind wasn't tainted with alcohol at the moment. He must have been informed of how he last approached you and probably wanted to apologize for it. _Along with clear up anything he said..._ "Oh, sure. My room's in here." Your legs were shaky and you were grateful that you didn't stutter. _Calm down, it's just Zao,_ you tried to tell yourself.

But you knew it wasn't 'just' him anymore. He'd crossed a line over 'friend'. You felt as if in a daze when you padded to your room and sat on the bed again. He followed and quietly sat next to you—a good three feet away.

His hands were on the edges of your mattress and for a moment, he wouldn't look at you. The stillness of the room made your stomach twist and lock as if awaiting critical information. "Ummm... so. I guess you came over last night, yeah?" His eyes were still aimed at the carpet.

You watched him carefully and nodded. "I did."

"Shocking as it may be, I don't remember most of it." He gave a half-laugh and turned to face you. His serious eyes hinted that he didn't find the ordeal funny at all. "_____... I'm sorry." His voice was soft. Remorseful.

His apology made you feel a new affection for him. _He's_ _so_ _sweet and responsible_ _,_ you thought. "It's okay," Thinking back to his drunken state caused a grin to cross your face. "You were acting really funny. It was no problem; I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"That was my next point," He sighed and looked up to the ceiling. "I haven't been myself lately. The peak of it was during those days when I wouldn't stop drinking."

The grin fell from your face. He'd come here for more reasons than to just apologize; it seemed he was here to give you some explanations as well. "Why haven't you been yourself?"

"I've, uh..." He agitatedly rubbed a hand over his neck. He was still avoiding eye contact. "Depression's been brutal."

You felt a pang in your heart _. I never would have expected it._ "That's horrible..." It wasn't fair. No one deserved depression, and especially not him _. I don't like to see him sad_. "I wish there was more I could do."

He finally met your eyes and smiled fleetingly. "That's nice of you."

_Is it?_ "How are you feeling right now?"

"Better."

"Are you sure?"

He chuckled. "Are you trying to get something else out of me?"

"Er, no..."

"Why was Oliver here?"

"Oh," Feeling more comfortable as the atmosphere shifted, you stretched and replied, "He was just hanging out with me." _I've been bored without you._

"Doing anything naughty?" He winked, and you knew he was joking.

_At least he's somewhat back to himself._ "No way."

He shrugged, "Of course not. He's hella gay."

You froze for a moment, but recovered quickly. "...Seriously?"

"Seriously."

_"Really?"_

He gave you a look that spelled _how-did-you-never-guess?_ "...Especially for Allen."

You burst out laughing. _That_ much was obvious. "I've missed you Zao."

"And my spilling of our friends' sexualities?"

You were still giggling. "Sure."

"I'm sure you can guess what Flavio is."

"Bi?"

"He's bi as _hell."_

Now that he looked more at ease, the inebriated confession of his snaked into your mind again. _So he doesn't remember it?_ And then there was what he said to you about his condition...

_"Oh... and I-I'm sorry I ran away! I was sad because I thought you didn't like me!"_

_"I just like you so much and it made me really really jealous and sad 'cause I thought you liked Allen..."_

And then there was what Kuro had told you— _"He's been a mess like this because of you. Just fix things already so he'll stop drinking."_

Could you really have contributed to this depression he went through? And that dangerous intake of alcohol over the course of three days?

_If only I could let him know..._

"I'm glad you're better." You leaned in and impetuously placed a small kiss on his cheek.

You felt him stiffen immediately upon coming in contact with his skin. Since when did he get this flustered? When you pulled away, his face was aflame and you wanted to laugh aloud.

"...What the hell was that?"

You shrugged — almost playfully.

His voice was high pitched as he shrunk down and squeaked out, "I swear you're trying to kill me."

"I am totally not." You couldn't hide the smile from your features.

"What even is this life," His voice cracked as he gestured towards you furiously, "Did I get transported to an alternate universe or something?! I am so confused." His temperature seemed to be rising and this was an unfamiliar sight with him.

Laughing quietly, you commented, "You're adorable."

"I am not adorable," He shot back instinctively. As soon as it registered in his mind that _you_ had called him adorable, he looked away and stuttered, "I-I mean..."

_Why is he suddenly all shy?_ you wondered.

"I don't know whether to say thank you or fuck you. 'Cause it almost seems like you're making fun of me. Also, I'm not used to girls being forward with me, so I don't understand." He held his arms up in front of him in a 'not my fault' type of gesture.

However, that was all it took for you to notice them.

You weren't sure why you never caught sight of them before. From this distance, they stood out completely. A feeling of dread accelerated through your body and you stopped smiling.

"What happened to your arms?"

He turned them around to look over his inner arms, as if he didn't already know. "Oh..." Dotted along them were dark circular scars. They were shiny and noticeable, cracked and protruding. About four of them were on each arm.

"W-What are those burn marks from?"

He didn't even try to come up with some fake accident. He was forthright and blunt as always. "I used to, uh... take my cigarettes and put them out on my own skin."

The image of him taking a _lit_ stick of nicotine and placing the inflamed end onto his arm leaked into your mind. The burning sensation, the sound of sizzling, and the agonizing pain of heat inflicted on him made your chest ache. _That must have really hurt._ "Why would you do something like that?"

He writhed under your stare. "The pain made me forget about my feelings for a while..."

_No, please no..._

You swallowed distressfully. "None of those are new... right?"

"No," He was quick to say. "This was a while ago." He crossed his arms and gazed away from you. "Back when I was trying to deal with all the shit from my parents and... days back home in Shanghai."

This made it clear that he had indeed gone through some depression. It hurt you to imagine him that miserable.

"Zao," Without thinking, you reached for his arm — not to examine his scars, but to pull him closer.

He watched you in careful scrutiny, as if trying to decide if you were disgusted with him or not. Still, he allowed you to pull him in.

Tenderly, you told him, "I'll make you happy, I promise..."

He looked you directly in the eyes. His crimson red irises hid nothing—he was vulnerable. "Why are you... telling me that?"

You gently caressed his lower arm — the one you were still holding. "You deserve to be happy."

He flinched and averted his eyes, his face flushed pink. "U-Um," He stammered, "Thank you."

After a few heartbeats of silence, an idea came to mind. "What's something you want?"

"'Something I want'?" He repeated, puzzled. "Like out of anything in the world?"

"Yeah. Your biggest dream or something. What is it?" You thought it might take him a while to answer. That there would be some long and detailed response. You thought wrong.

"Kiss you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bro,, this chapter getting an amazing fanart is my greatest accomplishment
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/prominessence/art/Gift-What-s-something-you-want-571561988


	7. His Real Wish is to be Powerful

You were scrolling idly on your laptop while sitting at the dining room table when your father first proposed the idea.

He was lounging at the end of the counter while looking through work documents when a certain flyer had caught his attention. "Hey _____, it says here that my new work company will be hosting an event at the zoo this weekend. They're looking for high school age volunteers to help out with some of the stands, would you be interested in joining?"

You peered at him from behind your monitor. "Uh..."

He was still shifting through paperwork. "I've only been working there for a few weeks. It'll make us look good."

"Both of us? How?"

"You're in high school. This volunteer job will look great on a college application someday and..." He put down some of the papers and looked at you directly. "If they like you, they might write you a letter of recommendation. When you start looking for your first job, this could be good to attach to your resume. Also," He reached over and playfully patted your shoulder. "You need to get out more, hon."

You exhaled. "Is that the only reason you're making me do this?"

"I'm not making you."

"But you'll be mad if I say no."

He laughed. "You should just say yes."

You thought about it for a moment. Volunteering at the zoo for a few hours? Running a drink stand with the company logo on top for a bit? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Besides, you'd never been to the zoo around here, and it was probably really nice.

"Okay, fine." You said. "Do you think it'll be fun?"

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

The next Saturday morning, you were leaving the building with your father for the zoo when you caught Allen halfway out of the lobby. Perking up a bit, you slid over and fell into step with him. "Hey twatface. Where you heading to?"

He glanced at you but ignored your very British insult for him. "...I told Flavio's brother I'd help him do something today."

You arched an eyebrow at him. "You... _offered_ to help someone... _do something_?" You tried to wrap your head around the other piece of information. "And... I didn't know Flavio had a brother?!"

He pouted. "Well he does, and he's a little bitch. I uh, owe him for something, so that's why I have to do this."

You nodded. "Yeah, now it makes sense." Allen may be a fun friend, but he wasn't exactly the happy-to-help type.

"So what about you? Oh, and 'sup man." He aimed a lazy peace sign towards your father in acknowledgement.

"Morning Allen." His tone was casual and comfortable.

"I have to do some volunteer work at the zoo with him." You shrugged. "By the way...," A thought had just surfaced. "Is Zao's phone still lost?"

By now, you'd reached the building's exit and Allen pushed the door open for you. Smirking, he replied, "Yeah. I'll let him know to meet you there."

You came to an immediate halt, and you felt the corner of your dad's briefcase hit the back of your knee. "Why'd you stop walking?" He complained, his attention partially on his phone.

You moved out of his way, and he went to start up the car. Once he was a distance away, you whisper-shouted to Allen, "... _That's not what I meant!"_

His grin grew broader. "And you said zoo?"

"Yeah...?"

He sniggered. "Eheheh, prepare to see a new side of him.~"

"What do you mean by tha—"

"-I can't go today. Maybe next time. We haven't hung out in a while, yeah?" He started backing away and blew you a sloppy kiss. "Catch ya later, dollface!" He turned and jogged around the corner, disappearing behind a red brick wall.

"...Ughhhhh," Frustrated, you stepped into the direction of your dad's car. _He better not actually tell him to come._

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

You pressed your arms to the chilled steel surface and sighed. "I can't believe this is exactly what I thought it would be." You said aloud, staring out into the open pathways that led to the penguin exhibit and the signs pointing towards the refreshment area.

You were currently leaning against a stand that sold sodas and chips. A large blue umbrella was overhead and did a fantastic job of shading you from the summer rays. As part of the work event, these snacks were funded by the company and being sold at half price compared to the zoo's refreshments.

You'd been giving them out for a couple hours, and now your part of the food court was nearly deserted. _Nothing to do now_ , you thought. _So boring..._

Boring at least until you sensed a presence glide in next to you.

_That better not be...—_

"Looking good as always," Zao mused, resting his elbows on the counter.

_-Dammit Allen._

You'd jumped slightly, and then tried to relax again once you saw who it was. However, you felt a wave of both relief and excitement upon seeing him and you told yourself it was only because you'd come in contact with a friend after hours of hurried strangers. "Oh... thank you."

He smiled at you. "I mean it, kitten."

That genuine smile brought some memories back into your consciousness. More precisely, the afternoon you last saw him and exactly when that meeting was cut short.

_He'd just stopped by to apologize for his behavior, and shortly after that you'd asked him what his biggest dream was. "Kiss you," he'd said._

_Before you could even muster a reply, the most infuriating distraction possible had occurred_ _—_ _your mother had called you out for lunch. You'd never felt your blood boil to such an extent._

_"...I should go," He'd said afterwards. "I still haven't found my phone, by the way."_

"How was your night?" His voice brought you back to the present.

You thought back to last night. You hadn't done much except go on the Internet and help your mother clean the house. "Kind of boring."

"Chores were brutal, huh?"

_He's making fun of me,_ you thought irritably _. I hate when he's right_. "I didn't do chores..."

His smile was sly. "Then who did you do?"

You paused. "Was that another innuendo?"

"Just curious to know my competition."

You snorted. "Oh, grow up..."

He chuckled and gestured vaguely to the refreshment stand. "So how'd you land yourself here?"

"My dad's job was hosting this event thing and he made me volunteer," You began clearing away the counter; your shift was almost over. "But, why are _you_ here?"

He shrugged. "Allen told me you'd be here." He leaned into you and grinned. "Cute girl. Cute animals. It's a win-win for me."

You brushed off the 'cute girl' comment; you were used to his compliments by now. "'Cute animals'? You like animals?"

His elbows pressed to the counter, he cupped his face and winked at you. "Heh... you have no idea."

_Is he being serious?_ you wondered.

_But then again... he has a lot of animal tattoos._

"Awwh," You cooed, grinning at him. _He is so precious._ "You're an animal lover? That's pretty adorable of you."

A look of bewilderment crossed his face. He stifled a cough and looked away, trying to discreetly cover his expression. You figured he was probably blushing and frankly, that only made him cuter. "Oh shut up..." He grumbled quietly. "I only like _some_ animals."

_Don't know how I did that,_ you thought with a small smirk. _But I managed to make him blush for once_. "What kind of animals?"

He'd recovered in an instant. Giving you a crooked smile, he suggested playfully, "How about you come with me to see them?"

You glanced at the time. Yep, your shift was now over. "Eh, fine."

After signing out for the day, you joined him for a walk around the San Francisco zoo.

"Gotta be honest _____, I never imagined our first date would be at such a family-friendly type of place." He casually took a swig of his Coke. He'd offered to buy you a drink as well earlier, and you'd settled for an Icee.

"Then how _did_ you imagine our first date?" You'd decided to play along with his little game. _This wasn't meant to be a date, it's_ ** _not_** _a date, and he knows that._ You sloshed around the colorful ice in your zoo-themed cup with the thick plastic straw as you awaited his answer.

"I imagined it somewhere like, I don't know, a little more rated R? Grabbing dinner downtown and then heading out to the red light district for a night of fun sounded pretty rad."

"Uh, what exactly is a red light district?"

He turned and gave you a cheeky grin.

"Oh god," You sipped on your chilled drink. "Do I even want to know?"

"It's a part of town created just for sex."

A small piece of ice caught in your throat. You almost choked until it melted and disappeared. "Um...?!"

He held up a hand. Counting off on each finger, he listed, "Brothels, strip clubs, sex shops, prostitution, adult theaters for porn—"

_"-Dude, there are children next to us."_ You whispered furiously, pointing to some young siblings a few feet away. Luckily, they were too preoccupied with surveying the caged monkeys to overhear his debauched description.

He laughed for a good minute. "Anyway... yeah. That's sort of where I fantasized our first date would be. Hot, right?"

You waved away his comments. "But like, where do they even have red light districts? They seem like something straight out of a movie."

He stopped walking and stared at you for a moment. He gave you a look that read _where-the-hell-have-you-been?_ and eventually answered in a slow voice, _"There's one right in Chinatown_ , you didn't know that?"

You gaped. "What? There _is?"_

He exhaled with a modest grin on his lips as he answered, "I work there."

You let out a half-laugh and waited for him to admit he was kidding.

"...I wasn't kidding."

You facepalmed.

"Those districts are common in Asia. Oh, and you shouldn't be so surprised that people who go to sex businesses would also be interested in buying opiates from me."

"You're..." _–crazy? Criminal? Advanced? Hot?_ "-stupid."

He snorted. "I may not be pure and bright like you kitten, but I've got plenty of street smarts."

You didn't say anything for a moment. _He may be the same age as me, but his experiences make him so much older._

"Let's forget all that shit for now. You're a pure-blood virgin angel and you don't need me to taint your innocence for today," He pointed at a sign directing towards a new animal exhibit. "Let's go look at some beautiful creatures."

Feeling winded, you dazedly replied, "Yeah... okay."

As you two walked through a heavily tree-shaded area, he kept sneaking sideways peeks at you. After about the third time you caught him, he laughed and carelessly admitted, "You know what? Walking around the zoo together kind of makes us look like a real couple."

"Haha..." You gazed away from him, unsure of how to reply.

He reached out his palm towards you, revealing a black Chinese symbol inked into his wrist. "Hold my hand, babe.~"

_...Just fucking do it,_ you told yourself. _Better than to stutter out a no or something_. Before you could change your mind, you verbalized something that sounded like an agreement and latched your hand into his.

The smile that etched onto his lips could have lit up a room.

"Good girl." He interlocked his fingers with yours. You could have sworn you heard him murmur _"best day ever"_ under his breath.

A few minutes later, you two arrived at a towering stone wall covered in vibrant green ivy. There was an elongated window over most of the center, revealing a substantial woodland-themed exhibit.

"First stop: the symbol of bravery, wisdom, royalty, and strength. Magnificent, aren't they?"

Massive, muscular felines lounged on slabs of stone. Fur coats the color of raw umber shone in the rays of sunlight, expressing their brilliance and true symbol of strength. Intimidating manes blew in the light breeze, and in the silence of the exhibit, low guttural snarls were occurring and audible. Eyes the hue of gold gazed lazily at you, but as you stood behind the glass wall, you felt the top predator may as well be staring into your soul.

You watched them for a bit, and then recalled what one of Zao's most prominent tattoos depicted. You turned to look at his body.

He was still examining the elegant beasts. As he did so, he pointed to the intricate lion tattoo on his shoulder. "These fuckers."

"Lions. Nice." You craned back to where the burly cats loomed.

"The leader of the pride..." He murmured as he watched one stretch. "They have so much courage. So much power."

_He really does idolize them,_ you thought, just as a realization occurred to you.

His real dream. Even if it wasn't what he said, you could assume it was to be powerful and unstoppable— like a lion. You understood there must be a reason, but you just didn't know it yet.

"Do you think I'm a lion?"

Your thoughts involuntarily flashed back to that night at his house. Intoxicated, he'd said _, I'm a kitty, meow~._ You shook off the silly memory. _Focus, _____._ "Do I think you're a lion...?"

"Yeah. You know, like rawrr." He put up a hand in a paw-like motion. "Do you think I can be powerful someday?"

You peered at his tattoos again. _'It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life'_ was quoted into his skin. "Yeah," you said. "You're already a great lion."

You noticed there was a gift shop nearby. "...Stay right there and don't move," You commanded. "I'll be right back."

"Okay.~"

About five minutes later, you stepped out of the gift shop with a plastic bag. Zao was still in the same spot you'd left him in. _So obedient,_ you admired.

"What'd you buy?"

"Take off your hat."

"Is it weird that for half a second I thought you were going to say 'take off your shirt'?" He wondered aloud as he slipped off the military cap without question and placed it on your head.

"I'm actually surprised your dirty mind didn't think I was going to say 'take off your _clothes'_ ," You replied as you took out the lion ears from the gift bag and proceeded to put them on his head.

The headband fit him perfectly and blended into his hair. You stepped back to admire your work. The lion ears looked absolutely _adorable_ on him. "... _Now_ you're a lion." You gave him your phone screen as a mirror.

"Aaaa _ah_ , cute!" He grinned sunnily and hopped up and down. "Holy _shit_ , I swear I'll keep these on for the rest of the day, ahahaha!"

You grinned at his child-like reaction, "Good."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

After seeing the lions, it was time for the second stop. Zao was practically bouncing with excitement as he led you through a bamboo forest-themed part of the zoo. "Beware — I may or may not lose my shit." He warned as he walked backwards, facing you.

"Sure, okay."

"I'm serious..." He'd started giggling and he clearly couldn't stop.

"What are we looking for?" You asked again, sipping on the last of your Icee.

You'd been staring into the near-empty cup, and when you looked back up, he wasn't there anymore. "Uh, Zao...?"

_Oh god._

There was a close by exhibit full of bamboo stalks.

Slowly, you swiveled around to the six-foot fence that was separating you from the—

_"RED PANDAS!"_

You turned around fully and at that moment, you could have sworn you felt your jaw drop. To the ground.

_Well_ , your jaw hadn't literally dropped to the ground, but your Icee sure did.

He was _climbing the fence_ and the next thing you knew, he was _in_ the freaking exhibit. "Zao, get out of there this instant!" You shouted, feeling like a mother.

"SO CUTE!" He squealed lovingly, grabbing one and holding it gently. As it rested in his toned arms, he looked at you and yelled, "Take my picture, this is so going on Twitter!"

You facepalmed for the second time that afternoon. At least this side of the zoo was isolated and basically no one was around.

"I can't believe you're in there. _Get out_. Now. You're gonna get us in trouble..." You told him. That is, _after_ you snapped a picture of him.

Finally, after a long two minutes of cuddling, cooing, and petting, you managed to force him out. "I can't believe you love red pandas that much-!"

He was still breathlessly exhilarated as he climbed down the fence and jumped down to your side of the cement. "They're the cutest things in the world!~ Even more than Hello Kitty!"

You sighed as you started fast-walking away from the red pandas. _He really is a precious human being._

So quirky, so unique. Unbelievably cute. A street-smart, possibly dangerous drug user.

"I want one..." He pouted as he caught up to you. "It would be the best pet ever. It would never get to leave my shoulder."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

You two had walked around the zoo a bit more. You'd checked out the giant pandas too but Zao wasn't very interested.

You were currently sitting by the bald eagle cages with him. "When do you have to go home?" You inquired.

"I don't have a home," He deadpanned.

You smacked his shoulder and laughed. "Don't talk like that."

He chuckled and responded, "I meant, there's no specific time I have to go home to Kuro, Yonsu and Jin. They can take care of themselves."

_But not without you,_ you added in your mind. He was so modest when it came to their dependency on him. "How did you get here though? This is kinda far from Chinatown." It hit you that you had no idea how he got around. Did he have a car? Take the bus? Lyft? "You're seventeen, right? Do you have a car?"

He sat cross-legged next to you, his elbows resting on his knees. "Um," He glanced away. "Yes, I have... transportation."

"Mm? What is it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uh, no reason..."

He tilted his head at you and grinned. "Can I take you home? I know you've been here since the morning."

You sighed; he was right. It was around three now and you'd been here since nine in the morning. You wanted to go home, but you knew your dad had to stay all day for work and you had no other way home. Mom was busy in another city running errands for the house.

You knew your parents would probably let you get a ride from Zao. "Is that okay? I don't want to be a bother. And only if you're ready to leave too."

He stared into your features. "...I'll go anywhere as long as I'm with you."

Seconds later you were both giggling. "Nice pick up line."

"I try sometimes."

Once he'd composed himself, he asked again, "So... wanna head home?"

You adjusted his hat on your head and looked up at the cute lion ears on him one more time. "Haha... sure."

He began leading you to the parking lot. "This way, miss."

"So you do have a car?"

"Ehhh..." He waved it away. "You'll see."

As you walked through the crowded parking lot, you texted your father to let him know you were getting a ride from Zao. He said it was okay and was even childish enough to put a winking face. _Weird, I thought he shipped me with Allen,_ you thought and stifled a laugh. 'Get back to work', you'd texted him back.

Several minutes later, Zao pointed to a parking space. "Right here."

A shiny black Harley-Davidson motorcycle rested on its kickstand. He swung on and tipped his head at the seat behind him. "Hop on."

"I-I had no idea you rode a bike..."

He tossed you a helmet. "Yep." He roared the engine in emphasis.

Clutching the helmet, you slid over the bike and slipped off his hat. You put it in your bag and brought the helmet over your head. "Is it hard to drive?" You felt a sense of discomfort with this.

"No," He laughed softly. "You're tense, kitten. Relax." He was still wearing the lion ears, but they didn't look like they'd fall off.

When he pulled out of the parking space, the explosion of movement startled you. "Wow..." You'd been holding on to his shirt with just enough fabric between your fingers to keep your balance. Now that you were actually in motion, you wrapped your arms around him in an intimate backwards embrace.

He accelerated down the street, and your thighs squeezed around him. You hoped you were the only one who noticed.

You weren't.

"Feels nice when you touch me like this, kitten.~" He purred when he made it to a red light. "We should ride together more often."

"'Ride'..." You repeated suspiciously.

You caught his carnal smile. "And..."

"Don't say it."

"You—"

"-Don't you dare."

"-should ride me sometime too."

You lightly smacked your forehead, "I fucking knew it."

He laughed below his breath. "Needed to add in some biker-flirting with you."

_"I needed to add in some biker-flirting with you."_

_"You should ride me sometime too."_

_"Just curious to know my competition."_

Why did he have to be so... blunt and confusing?! You'd dealt with this long enough. You wouldn't allow his mixed signals to puzzle you anymore.

In response, you simply hugged him tighter. The motorcycle seat wasn't exactly spacious, so you snuggled up to him without shame. You kept your entwined arms around his chest and rested your head against his shoulder. His back was firm, muscled, and warm. Your bare legs pressed up against his skinny jeans and you felt a flutter in your veins. His heart traveled through bone and blood, flesh and cotton, to beat against your palms. Heat coiled up in your lower abdomen and you smiled giddily.

There were no words to be said. He understood your gestures and you noticed in one of his mirrors that his expression had turned flustered. A lovely dust of pink had spread across his cheeks.

"...Something's changed between us."

You pressed your lips to his shoulder—there was only a thin t-shirt separating your mouth from his soft skin. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

He kept his eyes on the road as the traffic signal turned green. Groaning, he remarked, "I... I said something to you when I was shit-faced didn't I..."

Your insides clenched nervously. "Uh..."

"I don't know what I said, or why you started being nicer to me, but..." Even with the roaring wind blowing past and motorcycle engine gunning, you heard him chuckle. "Whatever it was, I'm glad I said it."

_You said you liked me. You said you were jealous because of me._

You breathed out in relief. "Yeah. Me too."

You decided it was best to leave it be until he chose to say it again. _Soberly_. Not while inebriated or stoned.

"So... these lion ears are for me to keep, right?" He was grinning and as the dazzling city landscape flew by, you knew it was just another radiant day with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pssst if you've made it this far ily


	8. He's in Your Veins

"Hipster."

"I am no hipster, dearie."

You inhaled deeply before reasoning, "You wear those huge nerd glasses, you wear pastels, you wear flower crowns, _your hair is pink."_

Oliver giggled, "I still do not interact with the 'hipsters' at school, I solemnly swear it!"

You'd been having a guessing game about who Oliver hung out with during school. So far, you hadn't gotten his clique right.

"I only know you're friends with Allen and Flavio..."

"Then who do you suppose I spend my time with during school?~"

You tilted your head in astonishment. Frankly you hadn't expected them to speak as much during school as they did after. They simply didn't _look_ like they'd be friends. "...You guys must have a weird crew."

He laughed giddily. "It's so cute and funny to see the reactions of people who find out Allen and I are very best friends!"

"Mm... what about Flavio? He seems like he'd hang out with the divas or popular kids or cheerleaders or something."

Oliver _tsk_ 'ed. "Wouldn't they love to have him? Hehe, but no, he is with us and us only.~"

You adjusted the beach towel under your legs and stretched. "Huh..."

It was especially hot today and you two had been lounging around in your scorching condo. Oliver had complained countlessly, since he'd been used to cold and rainy London. By his hundredth or so whine about the heat, you'd finally suggested hitting the public pool.

You two were currently resting in the shade, sitting in white reclining beach chairs. The sounds of whimsical splashing and laughter carried in the warm breeze. The scent of ice cream emanated from the snack bar, mixing slightly with the nostalgic essence of chlorine. Colorful towels and patterned umbrellas dotted around the several pools. Young lifeguards kept watch among each body of water, and iridescent hues glimmered from the sunshine on cerulean water.

"So, who else do you guys hang out with?"

"Hmm... are you implying that you'd like to meet our other friends, poppet?"

_I have a feeling they wouldn't be as nice as Oliver and Flavio_... you internally worried. "Um... no thanks, I'm good with just you guys for now."

He laughed in that very British manner of his. "I understand.~ The rest of them are very rude and intimidating! Oh... except for those German brothers, I suppose."

You slid down your Ray Ban sunglasses — er, _Allen's_ Ray Ban sunglasses, since he'd let you borrow from his endless supply of them. "'German brothers'...?"

He nodded. "Lutz and Gilen are very sweet! If you were to meet any more of our friends, I would suggest them next!"

"Umm...," You gazed into the cloudless blue sky. "Maybe sometime."

After a bit, your attention was back on the sun-kissed water. It looked more than appealing, especially since you hadn't dove in yet. "Hey. Let's go swimming, Ollie-pop."

You stood up and glanced at him, but an expression of dread had crossed his pale face. "Ah..." He looked away from you and rubbed his left arm apprehensively.

"Hm? What's wrong?" You perched down at the end of his elongated beach chair.

"Y-You see..." His voice had quieted down to a near whisper and his eyes darted back and forth, uncomfortable. "Ehem... I'm too shy to get in or take off my cover-up," He leaned into you and covered a side of his mouth so no one could read his lips. In a hushed tone, he said, "My pasty white skin would blind everyone! Also... I'm self-conscious about my freckles." He admitted shamefully.

You grinned empathetically at him. "It's totally okay, Ollie. You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Feeling better with your acceptance, he agreed to walk around the aquatic center with you. Together you checked out the hot guys with muscles and low-hanging swim trunks. "Hehe, that one looks a tad like Allen." Oliver had pointed out, discreetly tipping his head to a healthy male with fetching tan skin and a ripped six-pack.

You peered at him from beneath your shades and nodded. "Truuuue.~" Grateful that no one could see your eyes, you gazed at a handsome young lifeguard. "Dude in the surfer necklace over there is pretty cute."

Oliver clapped gleefully. "Agreed!"

Turning to him, you laughed and confessed, "You're so gay; I love it."

He snickered and gave you a high-five.

Passing the several rollercoaster-sized water slides, two competitive pools, one wave pool, one current pool, and one kiddy area, you two finally made it to the diving boards. "Wow..." You halted to gape at the person who'd just gracefully sliced through the air from the high dive. _Impressive jump, minimal splash_. And from what you'd seen, an enticing body. "Who was _that_?"

Oliver was unamused. "It's Zao," He deadpanned.

_Shit._

Again?

You hadn't recognized him with his dark hair slicked back. Heart thudding against your chest, you caught sight of him resurfacing from the dive. _Shitshitshit, what am I gonna say?!_

He noticed you at that point, and a cocky grin stretched across his face upon catching you checking him out.

"Th-This is gonna be awkward..." You half-whispered to Oliver while keeping your eyes on Zao as he climbed out of the pool.

... _He looks like a fucking model, this isn't fair?!_

He managed to step gracefully off the ladder. His skin gleamed from a sheen coat of water and his drenched hair was glossed away from his face, contrary to his usual mess of bangs hanging in his eyes. Crystal liquid cascaded down his toned chest and when he shook his head a bit, clear droplets showered into a mist and slowly dissolved away. Sunlight reflected off muscles of his that you'd never noticed before and casted a lustrous shine.

_He doesn't look as ripped when he's wearing clothes,_ you realized, your insides twisting with attraction and compulsion for him. _I can practically see sparkles around him?!_ "...He's like straight out of a shoujo manga," You told Oliver in a hushed tone.

Giggling, he replied, "People always say he's _dripping_ with good looks."

You caught his reference and added, "But the real question is which part of the Iwatobi swim club do you think he'd be?"

Oliver sighed. "...If Kuro heard us quoting anime in public, he'd disown us."

At that moment, Zao had sauntered up to you two. "Well well, look who we have here." He looked you up and down, not even bothering to be discreet. "Nice swimsuit, kitten." His smile was lecherous. "Doesn't leave too much to the imagination."

You accidentally let out a squeak. "...You _perv,"_ You wanted to hit him but that would mean touching his bare skin, which you didn't think you could handle at the moment.

He laughed and Oliver blushed far more than you did — completely expected due to him being such a prude.

"You guys hungry? I just sold a few eight-balls of coke so I've got more than enough cash on me, heh."

Eventually you and Oliver agreed (even after Oliver's rant on how "drugs are bad"), and hung out with him near the snack bar.

You tried to ignore how his abs were hard enough to make you flush and look away. "So, I didn't know you liked swimming."

He gave you a half-smile, "I'm like a shark."

You impulsively recalled that day at the zoo with him. "Do you have a shark tattoo or something too?"

"It's somewhere on my back," He responded coyly.

"Really?" You peered over his shoulder, but he glanced at your swimsuit-clad torso.

"You know what? Now's a good time for a hug." Without waiting for your permission, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you.

"Aah-" You let out a short cry of surprise and just about felt your heart leap into your throat.

The first caress that your brain processed was the _skin on skin_. The slightly damp, chilled surface of his toned flesh pressed against yours, his firm chest moving with each breath upon your own, his six-pack coming in contact with your abdomen and making you feel so _soft_. His smooth hands had slid to your hips and ravished your skin. Trapping you in his arms, you felt him all _around_ you and his natural scent of smoke and soap mixed with chlorine, enrapturing you with his proximity. You stood there, motionless, until all you could comprehend were his flesh, bones and blood. The crimson organ beating in his chest was made prominent by the pulsating against your skin.

You weren't sure how much time had passed. It could have been a few seconds or even a couple minutes.

Feeling warm, he mentioned with a blush, "...I'm getting... kind of turned on..." His voice was dreamy, lustful.

Still, it was more than you could handle and so you squawked and pulled away. "Z-Zao... you...!" Face burning, you spewed a few more incoherent words.

Watching calmly from the bench next to you, Oliver commented, "You two are adorable! However... I am still here." He said in mock chipperness.

"Oliverrrr~" Zao fist-bumped him as if it was the first time he'd seen him. "How's my favorite maniac doing today? Oh, and did you bring me back more Earl Grey from your last trip to England?"

He tilted his head and grinned sunnily. "Indeed! I understand how much you enjoy it and you are a precious friend to me; how could I not?"

Zao smiled back at him and petted his head of pink hair. "Thanks pinkie," He then turned back to you and suggested, "Oh, and you know what we should do?" He didn't wait for you to guess. "Ride the giant water slide together."

You let out a breath and rolled your eyes. " _Together?!_ No way," Plus, that water slide was at _least_ forty feet tall, which was frankly a bit intimidating. "That's crazy."

_"I'm_ crazy," The corners of his lips twitched up roguishly. "-About you. Hey Oliver, wanna record _____ and I going down on each other?"

Too mortified to stand there any longer, you let out an _eep_ and jumped into the nearest pool.

Typically, he followed after you.

You didn't see him come up. "Zao...?" You eyed Oliver, who settled on the edge of the pool.

"I don't see the lad either." He mentioned.

You sensed a wave of movement from beneath the water surface. Blood pumping, you stared down into the sky blue water. It was only about four feet deep here, but the dark tiles at the bottom of the pool blurred any mass of color that could have been him.

Before you could call his name again, you felt a pair of hands circle around your ankles. You opened your mouth again to shriek, but your legs were instantly bent and pushed upwards. You felt Zao's smooth skin come up between your legs when he suddenly shot out of the water, bringing you into the air via his steady shoulders.

You were dazed for a couple seconds until you realized you were sitting over his shoulders _above the water_. "What the... Why did you do that?!" You tried to move but it was futile. It felt as if you could fall at any moment — and with his hands still around your ankles, that seemed like it would be an awkward plunge.

"You two look like you're about to play Chicken Fights! Hehe... but you have no opponents, which is kind of sad... I'm sorry I couldn't join you two!" Oliver genuinely apologized from his dry corner of shade.

"It's okay," Zao casually told him. Squeezing your skin, he amorously mentioned, "So _this_ is what it's like to have your thighs between my face... I'll remember this when the night comes that I eat you ou-"

_Is there something in the chlorine?!_ You wanted to yell. _A secret acid must have turned him into a testosterone monster._ Before he could finish the salicious comment, you hissed and slid off his shoulders.

It was surprisingly easy to separate from him. Once underwater and free from him, you cupped your cheeks. Yup, still burning warm even while submerged in frigid water.

He dunked beneath the surface as if to follow you again.

You opened your eyes, but you wished you hadn't.

You two were floating near the pool's tiled flooring, caught staring at each other. His skin was abstractly marked with iridescent lighting from the surface's contact with sun rays. The water rippled above him and his hair flowed elegantly away from his face. His crimson eyes met yours.

A bright, dazzling hue of azure enveloped both of you, as if securing you two in an underwater cavern; free from the outside world, free from judgement, free from feelings that otherwise kept you two apart. For that moment, you were frozen in time with him — gazing into his sinful red irises as the rest of the world was muted and a million miles away.

As the light danced on his tantalizing body, he swam closer, as if in slow motion. Your eyes squeezed shut, and you felt him place his hands around your waist. Surrounded by a veil of white bubbles and invisible waves, he pressed a soft kiss to your bare chest.

Your lips parted, and air escaped into the water. His intimate kiss had left you breathless and you ached to return to the surface.

Kicking against the pool floor, you jetted back up for oxygen.

He came up with you, but his arms had moved to around your shoulders. "Feeling better, kitten?"

You wanted to ask him the same thing. _But for what? Getting air, or releasing some of that sexual tension?_

"Good heavens, I was worried! You two were down there for a good minute." Oliver called from his seat. He had gone from sitting crisscross over the edge to actually dipping his legs into the pool.

"We're totally fine, Ollie. Thanks." Zao saluted him and the peppy Brit nodded.

After gasping in lungfuls of air, you peeked at Zao's hair again. Most of his bangs and shorter layers had come loose, but there was still a thin ponytail wrapped in a small red ribbon. To distract him from the arousal zone you'd found with him lately, you blurted out, "Why didn't you put down your hair?"

He allowed you to come close and toy with it a bit, which probably wasn't the best move if you were trying not to flirt with him anymore. "I dunno. I was thinking of cutting it..."

You dropped the ribbon as you faced him and asked, "What, why? I like you the way you are."

_Oops._

Your face burned. _That didn't come out right._

Still, he smirked at you and responded, "I won't let you forget that you said that."

_... Make it stop._

This magnetic force drove you closer to him. _Always_. You were finding yourself less and less capable to fight it.

The electrifying connection was insatiable, toxic, and mesmeric in the most alluring of ways.

At the same time, it was treacherous. _For all I know, he could be a drug lord._

Still, your stomach clenched at the desire to get closer to him.

His fingers gently brushed against the back of your neck. His skin was supple, moist, chilled. He carefully pulled you closer, never breaking eye contact.

"Close your eyes," He whispered softly.

You gave in to him.

Eyelids fluttering closed, you didn't notice Oliver watching the scene as closely and intensely as a soap opera.

You felt Zao's warm breath fan over your lips. _So close_. He slowly angled his face; his forehead pressed to yours. As you were about to fall into a moment of pure bliss, a loud splash made you jump.

Your eyes opened in a flash. Water droplets were still spewing upwards from the ungraceful plummet. You peeked to see where Oliver was, but he'd vanished.

Which only meant one thing.

_"Fuck,"_ Zao quickly pulled away from you. "He can't swim!"

He dove underwater to fetch the fully-clothed Englishman.

_Oliver can't swim?_ You gasped. _Why didn't he tell me?!_

Zao resurfaced and pulled Oliver to the edge of the pool. "Are you okay?"

_He must have been watching us,_ you realized. _And he must have leaned too close over the water surface that he lost his balance and fell in._ "Is he breathing?"

Oliver coughed a bit and spat out some mouthfuls of pool water. "I-I'm terribly sorry..." His voice shook. Droplets slid down his cheeks, and you weren't sure if those were from the pool or real tears.

Both you and Zao sighed in relief.

"Th-Thank you so much for saving me, Zao-muffin." Oliver wiped his eyes and hugged him tightly.

Zao didn't hug him back. Instead, he grumbled, "You're lucky you could've died, or else I would've killed you."

You blushed when you realized the meaning to his words.

"I... I didn't mean to interrupt! I'm so sorry, I just-" Oliver then proceeded to go on and on about how guilty he felt.

Meanwhile, you were in a haze. _Zao really wa_ _s going to_ _kiss me..._

And yet why did you feel so stunned?

More importantly, were you about to _let him?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, if u got a tumblr, can u comment ur url? i wanna follow everyone who's keeping up with this fic uwu


	9. His Past Remains Hidden

Allen barged into your house. "Yo!"

With his left hand on the doorknob and foot in the doorway, he loudly proclaimed, "_____, NEEDA TELL YOU SOMETH-"

Oliver poked his head out from your kitchen, a cooking spoon in his hand. "-Allen darling? What's going on?"

Clutching a magazine, Flavio strutted out of the hallway. "What's all the commotion, Al? By the way, _____," He angled his head to you, "Are we gonna do our nails later or not?"

You followed Flavio out of your room and into the living space. "Huh? Oh, yeah. What's up Allen?"

His intimidating eyes traveled from Oliver, to Flavio, to you. After a moment, he squinted, crossed his arms, looked away and grumbled, "...Nice t'know you were all hanging out without me, tch."

You snorted and Oliver looked at him sympathetically. "What did you need to say, dear?"

He shrugged off the rest of his indignation and appeared solemn. "Well..." He slowly turned to face you. With a quick glance at Oliver and Flavio, he turned back to you and leaned in to whisper in your ear, _"It's that...—"_

Before he could speak another syllable, Oliver dropped his cooking spoon. Flavio tossed the fashion magazine over his shoulder and they both stood up and leaned in to listen. Very indiscreetly.

However, they needn't bother seeing as you inhaled sharply and staggered back a few seconds later. "ZAO'S IN THE HOSPITAL?!"

Upon hearing your screechy leak of information, both Oliver and Flavio let out some very un-masculine gasps as Allen quickly tried to wave it off, "It-It's nothing!"

"What _happened_?" Your jaw was dropped. An unsettling list of possible reasons flooded into your brain, all of which made you lightheaded with worry.

_Was he in a car accident? A hit-and-run? Did he get jumped by one of his many enemies? DID HE HAVE AN OVERDOSE?!_

Allen shamefully looked down to his feet and mumbled, "...We were doing parkour."

After a few heartbeats of silence, Oliver's thick eyebrows furrowed suspiciously. "Is that some kind of nEW _DRUG_?"

Flavio _tsk_ 'ed and adjusted a strand of his dyed blonde hair. "Isn't that what got Ma—"

Allen quickly slapped a hand across the Italian's mouth, "We don't talk about the Matt." He deadpanned.

"Allen," You sighed in exasperation. "Is Zao okay? When did this happen?"

He shrank back a little. "Uhhh... it was about three hours ago. We were at the skate park, messin' around and shit, and then this bangin' hot chick walked by, and I was supposed to do this catch-and-twist thingy with him but er, that didn't exactly happen."

You immediately stomped your foot and shouted, "You were supposed to catch him but _didn't_?!"

He held up his hands in a don't-shoot gesture, "I'm fucking sorry! But it's not my fault Ion's older sister walked by, y'know?! I was trying to look like a badass and hey, even Zao said he's not mad at me, so don't you start yelling at me, woman."

"He said he's... not mad at you?" _Maybe he thought Ion's sister was 'distracting' too,_ you speculated.

He grinned smugly. "Zao doesn't _get_ angry. You should know that by now. Also, there's the fact that he loves me."

You exhaled. "He _does_ have a soft spot for you, not that I have any clue why."

"Come to think of it; tis true! I have rarely ever witnessed Zao become angry." Oliver chimed.

"Not that he isn't capable of it." Flavio added whilst examining his nails.

"Anyway," You hissed while glaring at Allen, "...Should we go see him?"

  
** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

  
The four of you roamed down the E-Wing of Kaiser.

"Nngh," Flavio whimpered as he held tightly onto your arm, "Hospitals creep me outtttt."

"Really now?" A little too joyously, Oliver spun around to face him. He walked backwards down the hospital corridor as he continued, "I adore hospitals. The blinding white walls, the clean scent of sanitized needles, the endless halls that you can just get _lost_ in, the gurneys, the blinking lights, the beeping sounds of heart monitors..."

"Um..." You tapped your chin as you stared at him. "Literally everything you're saying are reasons to be _creeped out_ , not entranced."

He tilted his head at you. "Is that so? I think they're aesthetic!" He clutched tightly onto the bouquet of pink carnations in his arms; he'd picked them out personally to give to Zao. "I feel so... at home in hospitals!~"

"That's because you're secretly a psychopath," Allen chuckled.

Affronted, Oliver let out a faint sound of offence. "I am not," He looked down to the flowers. "Also... is it only me, or do these carnations look like brains when you stare at them from the tops?"

"Psycho.~" Allen half-sang below his breath.

A doctor covered in blood walked briskly past your group, to which Flavio screamed and covered his eyes, Allen stared, you looked away and Oliver practically gazed.

"Also," He added as if everyone was still conversing about the wonders of hospitals, "Surgical equipment is quite graceful. Their knives are so eccentric, isn't that lovely?"

Flavio moved his hands from his eyes and placed them over his ears. "Ollie, stop! I'm terrified of pointy things!"

"Heh, as long as we're talking about hospital perks, lemme be the first to bring up cute nurses." Allen mentioned.

You stared at the vinyl flooring as you continued walking. "You guys are _so weird_. We're only here to see Zao."

He was only going to be here overnight. The doctor had told Allen several hours earlier that they wanted to make sure he didn't fracture any bones and take extra good care of all his cuts and bruises.

According to the map of the hospital that you held in your hands, Zao's room wasn't much farther. It should be at the end of this corridor. "So... who is this 'Ion's sister' that I've heard about?" You wanted to get this question out of the way before you got to Zao's room. "You've mentioned her a couple times."

Allen nodded with a smirk. "She's his older sister. Oh... guess you've never met Ion, huh? Well, his sister speaks both Russian and Ukrainian, isn't that hot?" He gave a half-laugh. "She's kind of, uh, 'well-known' around this town, if you know what I mean."

You soon found yourself wondering how many of these 'well-known' girls had Zao met. _"They're always all over him,"_ you recalled Allen telling you. "Is Zao, uh, friends with her?" You'd aimed to sound casual but knew you'd probably failed.

Instead of teasing you like you thought he would, Allen simply responded, "Nah. He stays away from her because he hates Ion."

"Oh..." And now you found yourself wondering what this Ion person was like. You'd heard multiple times about how Zao didn't get along with him. _I can't imagine him actually despising someone?_

Finally, you decided to stop pondering his relationships and focus on him as a friend instead — especially once his room number came into direct view. "Well... who's first?" The woman at the front desk had said only one visitor may go inside at a time.

"Me," Allen stated. "I'm the one who fucked his shit up." Without another word, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The heavy metal door automatically shut behind him.

About six minutes later, he came back out, grinning now. "Guys, bad news. He's gonna live."

Oliver piped up, "May I see the lad next~?"

"Knock yourself out. I bet he's enjoying that he can be given drugs without getting arrested, haha."

Oliver stepped into the room, and you were about to make a comment until you heard Flavio let out a blood-curdling shriek. Alarmed, you and Allen craned to look at him. "What's wrong?" You asked.

He was gaping down at his phone. After a couple seconds, he bolted up from his chair. "Oh no! Baby Bro Luci's in trouble!" An anxious expression had etched onto his face. "I have to go save him! I need to... I need to...—" Frantic, he looked from side to side, trying to look composed and obviously attempting to act like an adult about the situation. Finally, that 'responsible' act ended and he hissed out, "—I need to _smack a bitch!"_ He waved his arms around in flustered Italian anger.

"What's—" Allen began.

"-'I am coming for you'," He said aloud as he texted it back to his brother. Then, he pocketed his phone and looked promptly at Allen. "...Sweetie, can you drive me to Francois's house?"

He looked puzzled for a moment, but instantly shook it off. "Sure. If it's urgent and about your brother, then we needa get there before all hell breaks loose."

"True," Flavio then turned to you. "Tell Zao hi for me! Also, can you and Ollie find a ride home from here?"

You figured they were probably taking Allen's Jeep. "I can always use Lyft."

He nodded once. "Fabulous. Well, excuse us— we have to go tame some wild animals."

He tugged on Allen's arm to start walking, to which he smiled viciously. "Time to show 'em who's the real alpha around here."

And thus he took off sprinting down the hallway, to which Flavio told him to slow down because he 'can't run'.

"...Well I can't wait to hear about this." You said aloud once they were gone. Whatever drama was going on was probably going to make a very interesting story — even if you hadn't met Flavio's brother yet.

A few minutes later, Oliver bounced out of the room. He was smiling as always and even had a faint blush on his cheeks. "Oh, th _at_ _Zao_ ," He half-complained with a grin as he stared at the floor. "Anyhoo, _____, I think he's getting a little sleepy, or maybe a tad delirious from the drugs, and— oh, goodness, wherever did Al and Flavi go?"

You looked up from your phone and answered, "Apparently Flavio's brother had a thing and he had to go save him."

Oliver cocked his head, perplexed. "...You are saying... _Luciano_... needed... quote-unquote, _saving_?"

You shrugged. "I don't know him, so..."

He cupped his cheeks with both hands, his mouth in the shape of an _O_. "Ohhhhh good heavens, I hope all is well!" He immediately looked worried.

"Yeah..." You weren't sure how to feel about this since you didn't know any of the people involved except for Flavio and Allen. "Anyway, I might go to the gift shop. Wanna come?"

He politely declined, then sat down and pulled out his pastel-cased iPhone. He quickly began texting someone, most likely a person who might be a part of the chaos.

Meanwhile, you checked out the gift shop. There were a lot of cute presents to give to patients, and only because you were feeling nice, you purchased both the stuffed red panda and a Hello Kitty blanket.

Frankly, it had been too hard to choose between the two.

When you finally opened the door to Zao's room, you couldn't help but feel a wave of apprehension. Allen had said he was fine, but that didn't stop you from fretting.

As you padded inside, an episode of Breaking Bad was playing on the television. Oliver had left the flower bouquet next to Zao's hat on the nearest counter, and there, on the gurney covered in white hospital blankets, was a passed-out Zao Wang.

The blue curtains were mostly closed except for one thin slit that let out a small stream of sunlight. It splayed across his pale cheek, giving him an innocent look. His long, luscious black eyelashes were made prominent by his peacefully closed eyelids.

He emanated heat. With each step you took, you felt warmer due to his high body temperature. A small Band-Aid was on his cheekbone and he didn't appear to be wearing a shirt.

"Mmgh..." He mumbled in his sleep. "..._____..."

Your eyes widened. _He didn't just..._

He didn't stir. "So... cute."

 _No way,_ you thought, flabbergasted. _Please tell me he's secretly awake and just trying to mess with me?!_

"But... so _tight_..." He tossed and turned maybe once, but he was definitely still in slumber.

_'Tight'? Isn't that what guys call when girls...—_

You cut off the thought. _Holy shit. No no no no no..._

You didn't dare look at his lower body. _Th-This should be perfectly natural,_ you tried to convince yourself. _It's scientifically explained that boys experience a lot of_ _naughty_ _dreams in their teenage years and..._ you blushed heavily _. I just cAN'T BELIEVE HE'S HAVING ONE ABOUT_ ** _ME_** _?!_

"Breathe," You reminded yourself.

As if to make matters worse, you accidentally looked south of his body. Sure enough, there was a pitched tent. _Wow..._ your eyes couldn't move from there.

You lightly slapped your own cheek. _Don't be a perv!_ "H-Hey Zao, wake up." Was it a good idea to wake him up now? You second-guessed your choice right as he stirred a bit.

"Huh..." He gazed drowsily at you. "Oh... you're here..."

 _His sleepy voice is so attractive._ You coughed. "U-Um, yeah. Oliver and Allen told you I'd come in, right?" To say you felt awkward now was an understatement.

He sat up a bit. From the looks of it, he was only wearing a pair of Calvin Klein boxers. "Yeah, they told me. Wait, hm. Must have been why I dozed off and started dreaming about you..." A coy smile found its way to his lips.

Your face heated up. "Yeah, I n—" You stopped yourself. _Shitshitshit, I'm not supposed to tell him I noticed!_

He caught your visible panic and chuckled. "...Pretty well-hung aren't I?"

Your skin flushed even worse.

_But... he really is..._

"You know I'm right. Is that why you're so embarrassed, kitten? Or is it because you admitted to checking out my massive boner?" He laughed softly. "I'm _sure_ it was _hard to miss_."

"I..." No words could come out. You stood there, beside his bed, feeling rooted to the floor.

"What's the matter, _____? You hot 'n bothered?"

The seductive, bewitching grin on his face made you want to crawl into his lap.

"I don't mean to break you, but uh..." He looked away for a moment, the sensual smile still on his face. "Gotta admit... I dream about having sex with you a lot."

"I-I got you gifts." You blurted to keep from imagining _doing things_ to him.

He met your eyes. "...You did?"

"You won't get them if you keep trying to flirt with me." You managed to grin teasingly at him and mentally patted yourself for not stuttering.

"Depends. Is it working?"

 _It worked a little too well,_ you thought to yourself as you pulled out the red panda plush. "I got—"

Instantly, he screamed. _Like a little girl on Christmas morning_. "-PANDA!" He snatched it and cuddled it in his arms.

"And I...—" Carefully, you flashed the blanket.

"-KITTY!" He quickly bundled himself and the stuffy with it and rolled around a little. "..._____, I'm in heaven," He cooed. "And in love."

"That's nice," You hoped to calm your throbbing heart. "I'm glad you like them."

He hugged the red panda to his chest. "I'm naming her ______. I'm keeping her and the blanket forever, by the way."

You couldn't stop yourself from smiling. "You didn't have to name it after me..."

"I so am."

You both laughed a bit. "I'm glad you're okay, Zao." You said after you'd quieted.

"They're going to let me out tomorrow morning. See? I'm good."

You nodded and looked around a bit. It appeared he didn't have to share this room with anyone, since there was only one bed and no dividing curtain. It was a good-sized room, too.

The nearest counter caught your eye. It had the carnations and Zao's hat on it. Blankly, you reached for the black-and-red military cap. "You always have this..." You commented absentmindedly.

"It bears a meaning, kitten."

You looked up. _Of course it did_ _—_ _why else would he keep it with him everywhere he went?_ "Story time?" You made puppy eyes at him.

"Glad you asked," He adjusted his position on the mattress so he could sit up a bit straighter. "Well, it's important to me. It belonged to my martial arts mentor."

"I would've guessed it was your dad's or grandfather's."

"That's what most people say. But, _no way_. My dad sucks." He laughed. "Anyway, I'd known that teacher since I was a kid. Ever since I was a little white belt, to be exact."

"A white belt? Just curious, what are you now?"

He smirked. "What do you think?"

You tilted your head in awe. "No way... black?"

He nodded.

"...I'm not surprised. But... I'm still impressed. Anyway, continue."

"Oh, so yeah, I saw him every day. I saw him more than my real dad, isn't that funny?" His stoic eyes clearly said that he didn't find it funny at all. "So, he was more like a guardian, a parent, and an inspiration to me than my real father. I got really close to him, too. He was a wise man. He knew I could take care of myself— he _believed_ in me, when no one else did."

You watched him closely. His eyes were faraway, distant. He was officially somewhere else.

"He was the only person I could turn to. And then... he got sick. I don't know if he ever got better. I haven't seen him since...—"

"-Since your parents disowned you?"

He shook his head. "No. Since _I_ disowned _them_."

"So... is he in China?"

"I'm not sure. Could be. But for all I know..." His voice cracked, "H-He might not be alive anymore."

"Oh," You didn't know where to look. "I'm sorry."

"He was already pretty old when I met him. But... he was in great health. I don't understand how he got so sick. All my childhood, I was totally sure he could live to be a hundred. Maybe someday I'll go back and..."

You waited. _Go back and look for him. Find out if he's still alive. Go back to China._

He didn't speak those words. He trailed off and eventually eyed the TV.

"...I could cook better meth than Walter White." He blurted after a few quiet heartbeats.

You decided to leave it be. After all, you weren't going to force him to talk about his possibly deceased mentor. You looked back down to the hat. It was much worn with age.

He noticed you eyeing it. "_____." He gently removed it from your hands, placed it on your head, and smiled.

"You know..." You began, the brim of his hat shading your eyes. "I don't think you understand how worried I was when Allen said you were in the hospital."

He didn't verbally respond. Instead, he watched you closer, the smile lowering.

"I'd thought... maybe you'd finally gone and killed yourself from an overdose or something."

He chuckled lightly — more somber than humorous. "That won't happen."

You wanted to take this moment to convince him not to use anymore, but you understood it wasn't the right time. "I was just...-" You looked him in the eye. Halfway through your sentence, he looked down to your lips. "-really scared for a second there."

He trailed his eyes from your mouth back up to your eyes. He licked his lips. "Oh... what?" He genuinely hadn't heard the last half. "Can you say that again?"

He was an open book.

_He'd just been thinking about kissing me._

Heat prickling at your skin, you unwillingly repeated, "I was just really scared for a second there."

It took a moment for him to process your intimate statement. "You..." The words came out below his breath. "...actually care about me..."

One part of you thought, _Of course I do_ , while the other was just as stunned as he was.

It shook you to realize _how much_ you cared about him. He was more than just a friend — he was a very close friend in which you may or may not contain stronger feelings for.

_Am I really—_

_falling for him?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just curious, how would you explain to your normie boyfriend - who you live with - that you need alone time to write fanfiction? asking for a friend.  
> ... //coughs


	10. He's Got It Bad For You

"If anyone asks what happened, just say 'parkour'." Allen advised Zao, chuckling as he drove.

Zao was riding shotgun; he was still bandaged up from his stay at the hospital. A thin Band-Aid was on his left cheekbone while another was on the right side of his jaw. A layer of gauze was taped to one of his forearms, while the other arm was dotted with masked-down cotton in the places nurses had drawn his blood.

Bruises and scrapes were still apparent on his body, but not as bad as the day he'd came in. The healing pink scars on his raw, tender skin only gave him a more roguish look. "...Sounds legit compared to 'Allen got distracted by a pair of tits and let me fall to the cement from a running ten-foot drop'."

Allen burst out laughing, lightly hitting the steering wheel of his black Jeep Commander. "...You _ate shit!"_ He howled through breaths of laughter.

Sitting in the backseat between Oliver and Flavio, you sneaked looks at both of them. Flavio was busy watching a hair-highlighting tutorial on his phone's YouTube app, so you leaned towards Oliver. "Allen sounds like he lands his friends in the hospital at least three times a week," You whispered in a hushed tone. " _Right?"_

Oliver nodded. "That's just him.~ We understand he means no harm, poppet. You mustn't worry!"

The large hospital passed by the car's windows. You were glad to be leaving the place for good, at least for now. You, Flavio, and Oliver had tagged along with Allen to pick up Zao. As expected, he didn't hold any real grudge against him for getting him put in there.

"So, _____." Allen mused as he stopped at a red light. "What'd you and Zao do after we left the hospital that day, huh?" He raised an eyebrow at you from the rearview mirror. Obviously, he was insinuating it was something dirty. Cl-aaa _aa_ ssic Allen.

He tipped his head to Zao. "You two hook up yet?" He casually asked.

You facepalmed. _I wish he could have just let me answer instead of assuming...—_

Zao cracked a smile. "Not yet," He then twisted halfway in his seat to face you. "Hey, _____. You must be tired after everything we did in my dream last night."

_...Oh shit,_ you swore, recalling what you'd walked in on when you'd first gone to visit him. _Why does this boy have literally no filter?!_

"Wait, you _what?"_ Flavio piped up, instantly locking his phone and putting it down. Oh, of _course_ he'd stop watching a video for this.

"Hm? What kind of dream was it?" Oliver innocently chimed in.

"Nothing!" You hissed. "Um, change of subject please? Allen, uh..." You racked your brain for something to say. Oh... right. There was something you'd been meaning to ask him anyway. "Speaking of that day, why'd you and Flavio have to run off like that?"

Seeing as Allen was driving, Flavio spoke up. "My precious little brother was in peril..."

Allen made a snorting noise of disbelief and disapproval. "Sure he was." He completed the sarcastic remark with an eye-roll.

"Yo, what happened?" Zao had been unaware of the whole... 'we gotta run bye' fiasco.

"I am assuming some drama with Luci and his friends," Oliver answered in a distasteful voice. He shook his head a bit, "I dislike drama so much... it's such an inconvenience for everyone... it makes people sad..." His tone trailed off sympathetically.

"Okay, but what _happened?"_ He sounded even _more_ curious now.

Carelessly, Allen responded, "Why don't you ask him when we get to my house?"

A second later, he flinched. Eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights, he eventually swore, "...Shit. I wasn't supposed to say that."

Immediately, you jumped in. "Uh, why are we going to your house, and why is Flavio's brother gonna be there?"

They all fell silent.

Finally, Allen answered, "I, er, needa get my wallet and let's just say he's there waiting."

You leaned back in your seat until your head hit the headrest. "Great. I'm just gonna sneak into my house and hide, okay?"

At this, Flavio faced you and gasped as if highly offended. "Ex _cuse_ you. Sweetheart, no need to be afraid! My darling brother is _lovely_ , you must meet him!~" The last half of his sentence had turned to full-on gushing.

"He is... not the most colorful crayon in the box, but he's... charming. In an Allen type of way." Oliver clarified.

"_____, they're just trying to be nice. The truth is Luciano's a little shit." Zao grumbled.

"You're gonna meet him at some point or another, dollface. You know he's gonna go to school with us? Just suck it up and get it over with. Remember how scared you were of meeting Oliver and Flavio?"

Indignantly, you shot back, "I wasn't scared!"

"So don't hide from Luciano. That little ball of stuck-up Italian can smell fear, y'know."

Flavio nodded in agreement. "My brother has a keen sense of reading the atmosphere. He can decipher how most people are feeling just by looking at them, isn't that amazing?"

"Plus, there's also the fact that you kinda have no choice," Allen peered at you and blew you a kiss. "-Because you have to be at my house for something too."

"Huh? For _what?"_

Zao turned around and stared at you. "_____," His expression was worried. "Don't listen to them. Don't meet Luciano. Please?"

"But Allen just said—"

"-Would you like me to call him?" Flavio suggested, raising his floral-cased iPhone. "We can even FaceTime him and you can see how grea—"

"-No!" Zao protested, but it sounded more whiny than aggressive.

"Mm? What's up with you?" Allen side-glanced at him from the road.

Flustered, he replied, "I kinda don't want _____ to meet Luciano?"

Oliver stroked his chin inquisitively. "And why is that, Zao-dear?"

He looked at you again and pouted. "...He's gonna hit on you."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, you facepalmed again.

"It's not funny..." Zao mumbled grumpily.

  
** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T- ** ** R-I-C-T- **

You and Allen stepped through his front door, a mini-crowd trailing behind the two of you. "Why did we _all_ have to come?" You complained thoughtlessly. You heard both Oliver and Flavio let out little gasps of offense from over your shoulder. They'd followed you and Allen out of the car and you still didn't know why.

_"I'm_ only here to keep Luciano from seducing you." Zao answered for himself as all five of you walked into Allen's living room.

"So where is he?" You asked, looking around and finding no evidence of someone else being here.

"Oh, Luci's probably—" Flavio began.

Before he could finish, you all suddenly heard Allen yell, _"What_ were you doing in my room, asshole?!"

You snapped your head up in time to catch a tanned-skin boy of average height stomp out of a bedroom.

His teeth were clenched furiously. He looked like he was on a rampage, the way he marched over to the only blonde in the room. Ignoring Allen, he aimed an accusing finger at Flavio and shouted, "You and me have some unfinished business, _fratello!"_ The last word, although endearing, was spat out like venom and thus clearly ironic.

Oblivious to his brother's rage, Flavio's eyes practically became hearts as he ran forward and pounced on him, "Luciiiii!~"

Scowling, Luciano took a calm side-step to his left, thus evading his brother's hug-tackle entirely. The result caused Flavio to trip over the couch and fall over it face-first. "Ouchies!" He whined, rubbing his cheek. "That hurt the Gucci face! Rug burn! Rug burn!"

Swiveling around, Luciano snarled at him, "Why the fuck did you think I needed help yesterday?! All I told you was to bring me my box of throwing knives because I left them in your room! I didn't tell you to show up where I was like some pathetic older brother trying to protect me!" His cheeks were flushing pink, either from animosity or embarrassment; you couldn't tell which.

Flavio sat up, near tears. "I thought you were in danger, baby bro!" He still didn't sound serious.

In response, Luciano grouchily rolled his eyes. "You exaggerate as always."

A moment later, Flavio still watched him with adoration. "...Gotta love your sass.~"

_Yeah,_ you mentally agreed with him. _I kind of like his snark, haha._

Allen turned to you. "'Sup, I'll be your safari guide for today. Here we have our favorite Italian bros exhibit," He made a big show of gesturing to both Luciano and Flavio, "But don't feed them; one of 'em bites. Aren't they such hilarious dipshits?"

Oliver clapped his hands as if they were a performance. "You're so mean Luci – it's adorable!"

You tilted your head at the short Italian, "...You're like a little ball of anger." You blurted out.

Zao threw an arm across your shoulders and dryly commented, "Kinda glad this was the first side of Luciano that you saw, 'cause the kid's got like, six different personalities."

At their mentions of him, Luciano snapped his gaze towards your group. His sharp magenta eyes fell on you, and you noticed some hues of maroon flecked in the irises as well.

_...Those eyes look like they hold the gates to hell,_ you observed.

"So... is this the girl I've been hearing about?" His voice had lowered to a suggestive purr. He stared at you from beneath his long, curlydark eyelashes. A sensual smile eased onto his beautifully shaped lips.

It stunned you to see him go from releasing unbridled fury to acting smooth as hell in only a matter of seconds. _Well... that literally went from zero to one hundred real quick..._ you thought in the back of your mind.

"_____, is it?" He cocked his head to the side and stepped a bit closer. His hair was a rich shade of auburn. Much like his brother, a long strand curled out into the air. He was dressed stylishly but not ostentatiously: a navy blue Henley shirt with its sleeves pushed up to his elbows, loose dark Diesel jeans, a leather belt, black combat boots and a silver watch on his left wrist. He smelled faintly of Hugo Boss cologne and he wore several white-gold earrings.

"It's a pleasure we finally meet," He looked you up and down, arms crossed. After a moment, he locked eyes with you and smirked. "Heh, you look a lot like my next girlfriend."

Zao's arm tightened around your shoulders. You couldn't see his face, but you heard him tell Luciano in a warning tone, "Back off, psycho."

As if to keep the atmosphere from going bitter, Oliver chirped, "You're looking good as always, Luci!"

He tipped his head in acknowledgement. "I know," He then turned to Allen. "By the way, you suck at planning surprise parties."

All was quiet for a moment until Zao repeated, "'Parties'...?"

Flavio scrambled up from the couch and hollered down the hallway, "wHERE IS EVERYONE?!"

Luciano stalked up to him and pushed him aside. "Lutz, Kuro! What the hell have you two been doing in there?!"

You could've _sworn_ you heard Allen's jaw snap. "You're saying they're _in my room?!"_

As if on cue, a towering male ran out of the bedroom, laughing so hard he may as well have been on drugs. He wasn't looking where he was going and almost ran smack into a wall because of it. Kuro followed behind him, and they were both wearing dark aviators. "Going through Al's stash of shades, ahahaha!" He nearly tripped about twice as he made his way over to Allen. "Bruh, like, you have to tell me where you got all those Ray Bans. Gimme a pair or two, man!"

"I am incognito, don't talk to me." Kuro deadpanned as he moved to stand beside Lutz, the sunglasses a little too big on him.

Allen wasn't amused. "Over my dead body. Kuro, Lutz. Take 'em off, give 'em back."

At that, Oliver sank down to his knees in a moment of despair. "This surprise party has been an absolute disaster! Allen, you forgot to decorate! Flavio, did you buy the gifts? And Luciano, where is everyone else?!"

Something finally clicked in Zao's mind. He pulled away from you and his jaw practically fell to the floor. He swung around to look at Allen, who appeared a little uncomfortable with that _look_ on Zao's face. "...You planned a _party_ for me?!"

His shoulders tensed upwards and his eyebrows furrowed agitatedly. "Uh... yeah...?"

From that point on, his one-sided level nine thousand bromance for Allen took over completely. "Dude, I _love_ you!" He made a happy sobbing noise and jumped onto him for a not-so-bro-hug.

"Agh, get _off_ me-!"

His struggles went unnoticed by Zao. "And I'd thought you didn't like me!"

At this, Allen gave up trying to peel Zao off of him. He growled out, "You're my _friend?_ How could I not like you, you fuckin' idiot?!"

Zao did nothing except continue to squeeze the air out of him. "You _do_ care!" He cooed through happy-tears.

"Isn't that sweet." Kuro monotonously stated.

"I'm gonna throw up." Luciano shot back.

"Ugh... _duh_ , how _else_ was I 'sposed to say sorry for putting you in the damn hospital?" He hissed down to Zao.

Oliver walked out of the kitchen proudly carrying a platter of cake shaped and decorated like Hello Kitty. On the side written in pink icing said, 'Zao, sorry for always cussing you out and landing you in the hospital lol', obviously worded by Allen and strategically frosted by Oliver.

Zao's eyes got wide as if he'd just witnessed a piece of heaven. "G-Guys..."

"Look, Zao-san," Kuro stepped forward and smiled a little bit. His jet-black hair shined like silk and his red eyes gleamed innocently for once. With both hands, he held out a small, knife-carved wooden figure of a red panda. "I made it myself with—"

"-MARRY ME!" He hug-tackled Kuro just like he did with Allen, but since Kuro had been closer to the living room, the two Asians tripped over the back of the couch and landed in a tangle of limbs on the cushions.

Kuro didn't seem to mind. He let Zao love on him and clearly had no issues with personal space.

Luciano leaned on the kitchen wall and finished Kuro's sentence for him. "He made it himself wiTH THE KNIVES I TOLD YOU TO BRING FOR ME DAMMIT, _SEE_ _FLAVIO_ _THIS IS WHY YOU'RE RIDICUOUSLY PROTECTIVE AND YOU JUMPED TO CONCLUSIONS AND_ —" He continued the rest of his rant to his brother as Lutz laughed cheerily and all loose ends of the story seemed to tie up.

You hung back and watched the chaos and joy ensue. _These boys are all such close friends,_ you realized. _They've probably known each other since childhood and right now, I'm just a girl who moved here a few weeks ago..._

A bystander. You were there to watch them, and it wasn't like you were some honored guest the way Flavio and Oliver sometimes treated you. No, with the whole gang present—or what you _assumed_ was the 'whole gang'— they were perfectly content with just each other. For this moment, you were invisible to them.

And you were elated to see this. It was precious. Most people usually didn't get the pleasure of witnessing such strong friendships. Their bonds were evident in the ways they treated each other, even for males.

With girls, friendship is easy to see. Hugs, squealing, giggling — this was common in female friendships. Boys had different ways of expressing their affection, and when it all built up, the sight was heartwarming.

_I'm so glad I got to see this,_ you thought for one moment until you better defined the feeling _, I'm so glad I'm here. I'm so glad I met them all._

Even if you weren't a part of the action, you felt a sense of their _belonging_. You could see it in everyone here. They were right where they wanted to be, needed to be. Something connected all of them together. A past? A meaning? A trait? You weren't sure what it was yet, but you were eager to find out.

_...I hope someday I can feel this type of bond,_ you thought wistfully.

A positive voice in the back of your mind responded with, _You will. And it will definitely be with them._

  
** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

  
A while later, the place finally seemed like what most would deem a 'party'. Oliver had the kitchen counters and table full of snacks and sweets, while Flavio took care of the decorations. Lutz had brought portable speakers, and teaming them up with the ones Allen already had gave the condo a full-on surround sound experience. The rhythmic beats of hip hop filled the air, and in a place full of boys, conveniently 'Where Them Girls At' was currently playing.

"You look tired," You commented to a newcomer who'd recently joined the party. He was sitting alone, smoking a cigarette, and blankly scrolling through his phone. His violet eyes had dark circles beneath them that signified a lack of sleep.

You didn't have anyone to talk to at the moment and so you tried and failed for a conversation with the weary ash-blonde. "Do you want anything to drink?"

A wisp of smoke billowed from his dry, parted lips as he eventually responded, "Is there any beer?"

You stiffened. "I... don't think so. Allen's still underage, so I don't think he'd—" You paused when you noticed a ghost of a smile on his lips. He didn't seem like a talker, or even friendly, so that tiny smirk seemed like it would be rare for him.

"You're talking about Allen." His tone was mumbled, slow, and laced with a French accent.

"I..." You tried for words, but they didn't come. Needless to say, you didn't want alcohol to get mixed in with this party. If this guy started drinking, then what if everyone else did? Also, there was the fact that you were _not_ going to stay if any can of beer was opened. "We have sodas, energy drinks, Gatorade, lemonade, water, I think Oliver brought a fancy milkshake maker, and there's some other stuff at my house across the hall. Pick your poison."

He didn't respond much after that, but throughout the rest of the gathering, you began to notice him eyeing you with a different aura. Was it... respect? Curiosity? Maybe getting denied of a beer was a first for him. After all, Zao and Allen had told you about how crazy and wild the girls around here were. Perhaps Francois — you'd heard someone call him that earlier — thought you seemed like a different species just for deciding not to bring out the alcohol. Maybe he admired that a little; you could tell just by the way he looked at you.

As another hour dragged on, you subconsciously began to act like the chaperone, and the guys were having too much fun to notice. That was completely fine by you. Subliminally, you became like the mom-who-always-refills-the-chip-bowl and dad-who-always-swoops-in-to-pick-up-garbage. Also, Oliver and Flavio got to relax, and you thought they deserved it after basically planning the whole get-together by themselves.

The doorbell rang again, but everyone stayed in the living room. They were making a lot of jokes, getting a lot of laughs, and talking about a lot of people that you still didn't know. You slipped out of the kitchen to get the door, wondering what kind of face you'd meet next.

As you swung the door open, you prepared yourself for _anything_. With the swirls of different personalities in the condo, you had no idea what to expect.

When you caught a glimpse of his face, your eyes had widened. Now _this_ type of look was the one you _least_ expected, that was for sure.

He was standing alone, and his awkward, slouched-over posture was a red flag for low self-esteem. The way he poked his fingers together nervously made it painfully obvious, too.

The first feature you noticed was his straight, milky-white hair. He instantly looked up at you with big, round, frightened doe eyes. The irises were an angelic shade of carnation-pink. His skin was pale as a ghost, and you wondered if he was either experiencing shock or if that was his natural color.

"Hi. Welcome." You tried to sound as friendly as possible so as not to scare him away.

"Um... hi," He squeaked. He let out a deep breath as if he'd been mentally preparing himself for this brief conversation.

"Come in, why don'tcha? The boys are in the living room." You stepped aside to let him in. _I really wonder how he knows them..._ you thought.

"Well... y-you see, I—"

He was cut off when Lutz sprinted into the entry hall. From his running leap across carpet, his socks caused him to slide a little too much and he wound up banging into the opposite wall. He didn't seem to notice as he rebounded and swirled around to face the newcomer, his balance still a little unsteady. "Gilen!"

The said boy jumped up like an alarmed rabbit.

Meanwhile, you breathed out a sigh of relief. From the short time you'd known him, you already decided Lutz was the happiest and most charismatic person you'd ever met. Gilen would have no worries while conversing with him.

Being his loud and friendly self, Lutz ran over and bear-hugged him. "I didn't think you'd actually come! Holy shit, you're gettin' so much better, Gil! I'm so proud of ya!"

Gilen squirmed a little, and you couldn't blame him, since Lutz had lifted him at least two feet off the ground. He looked like a tiny ragdoll that Lutz was playing with a bit too roughly, the way he swung and bounced around with him.

However, Lutz was grinning too proudly; you couldn't bring yourself to command him to put Gilen down.

"Ohmygod I love you so much big bro, come on come on! Everyone's in here." He set him down on his own and tugged on his wrist towards the living room when _holy hell did he just call him big bro_ slammed into your train of thought.

_Okay, totally would have never guessed that hilarious and outgoing Lutz would have an older brother with terminal shyness,_ _but oh well._

As you were rounding the corner back to the living room, you paused when you heard a couple muffled voices from behind the wall. From their current location, they seemed to be hiding from the others. Their hushed tones made you curious, even though you were usually not one to eavesdrop.

_"Oh, it was Gilen. What a pleasant surprise!"_

_"Indeed, but a few lads are miss—"_

_"-Hush, you!"_

_"But where's Ion?"_

Their voices — clearly Flavio's and Oliver's — got quieter, and you listened closer.

_"Ion? Are you kidding me? Zao doesn't like him, remember?"_

_"Ah... how about Roland?"_

_"Don't you know that Luciano would totally throw a fit if he showed up here?"_

_"Then, what about Matty?"_

_"I hear him and Allen are on horrible terms."_

You backed away at that point. They were talking about strained relationships between their friends in private, and it seemed even _more_ out of place for you to be listening. You managed to get a good distance away when Lutz called you over to the table in the dining room.

Sitting there were Lutz, Kuro, and Gilen. "Oh, I wanted you to meet my brother! _____, this is Gilen." Lutz made a big show of gesturing to the fragile-looking albino.

He peered up at you and managed a weak smile. "Hi, um, again. Sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier," He waved at you, and the motion looked a little too stiff and unnatural. At first you'd guessed it was because of his lack of people skills, but then you'd caught sight of the unevenness in skin tone that the particular arm had compared to the rest of his visible color. It was probably a made-to-look-real prosthetic arm. You weren't sure if you should ask or not.

"Nice to meet you, darlin'. You seem really sweet."

He blushed in response, and Lutz turned to him and winked playfully.

Kuro was sitting across from them on his phone. Perhaps he'd left the living room with them because it had gotten too noisy. Their hysteria and hollering were still pretty audible from across the hall, though.

He hadn't said a single word to you the whole day, and you felt entirely comfortable with changing that. Zeroing in on him, you waited and wondered if he'd look up from his phone.

His eyes never left the screen, but he must have felt your gaze on him. Without batting an eyelash, he stated without emotion, "You again."

Chuckling, you responded, "Long time no see."

"Thankfully."

You put a hand to your heart in mock hurt, "So rude."

"Hm, and she has a personality." He finally closed the app he was on and put his phone on the table. "I can see why Zao-san is so enamored with you."

"G-Geh?" You sputtered out. _Great. I probably sound so intelligent to him_. "You... I... th-that was uncalled for." You were nearly getting used to Allen teasing you about Zao, but it was different when it came from a cold, intimidating, raven-haired robot.

To change the subject, you glanced back to the presumable introvert in the room. "So, Gilen. What kind of things do you like?" You asked as you sat in the chair next to him.

Sometime later, you'd gotten to know both Gilen and Lutz a lot more. Even Kuro randomly joined in on the conversation a few times.

By now, Lutz had gone back to the others and had dragged Gilen along with him. Kuro had gotten cornered by Zao and forced to go back with everyone else as well. At the moment, you were following Allen around like a lost puppy.

Hidden from everyone else, you two tidied up the kitchen a bit. Or, more like, you did the dishes while Allen searched the cabinets for more food.

"By the way, this thought occurred to me a while ago..." You mentioned as you rinsed plates.

"Hm? What did?"

You turned off the faucet and whirled around to face him. "...Why am I the only girl here?!"

He looked baffled for a second, and then his expression veered for the _well-what-did-you-expect?_ look. He shrugged and answered, "Thought you knew."

"Knew _what?"_

He exhaled. "We've been _over this_ , dollface. You're like the only trustworthy chick around here. You know how the rest are. And besides," He stuffed a handful of grapes into his mouth, "You're the only girl that hangs out with us, really..." His voice was muffled by the fruit but still decipherable. He took one glance towards the living room and whined, "But _damn_ , this place is a freakin' sausage fest."

You didn't say anything for a moment, and then he eyed you as if he'd just gotten the best idea. "...Oh god, what?"

He grinned mischievously. "_____, get out there. Do something."

"Huh? Like _what?"_

"I dunno? Go flaunt that good girl charm of yours that turns everybody on. Or somethin'."

You made a noise that sounded like a hybrid between a laugh and a gasp. "My _what?"_

He pointed to the living room where everybody was lounging around. "Now."

_Maybe I'll do it so he'll stop thinking I'm scared of his friends._ "O-kaaaay..."

He fist-pumped. "Ye-haaaaah! Alright let's go." Without another word, he grabbed your arm and tugged you all the way into the living room.

Most of the couches were occupied, and Allen instantly flopped down on the only single armchair, leaving you with no idea where to sit. So you stood. _Awkward much? Ugh_. "Hey. How's everyone do—"

"-Oh, fabulous. The crush is here!" Flavio chirped.

The others quieted down and craned their heads to get a look at you.

Flavio was seated near you, and before you could get a word out, he held up a hand and waved it away. "Yeah yeah just go sit with your boyfriend." He pushed you onto someone's lap and giggled.

As soon as you landed, you didn't have to turn around to know who it was. _What_ _the hell are they planning?_ You thought with furiously flushed cheeks. Then you realized that you actually wouldn't be too shocked if half the guys in here were trying to get you to hook up with the one and only recently-released hospital patient.

To your relief, Zao seemed just as taken by surprise as you had been. He looked at you sitting in his lap, his whole body tensing.

_Have these guys forgotten that he's fresh out of the hospital and might still be in pain?_ Almost instantly, you discarded that thought. He'd straight-up tackled both Allen and Kuro not too long ago. His strength had to be back, or... was it?

The fact that he might actually be feeling weak and vulnerable right now seemed kind of cute. During your visit with him, you couldn't help but notice his small, occasional whimpers of pain. He must have thought they went by unnoticed, but in a depraved way, they were honestly kinda stimulating — not that you'd ever say it aloud.

He quickly recovered from the surprise. " _Well_ , isn't this cozy." You could _hear_ the smirk that crept onto his lips as he slid his arms around your waist and hugged you close.

"I—" _He's so warm,_ you unwillingly realized. Before you could finish, you'd already experienced enough of his embrace to register sparks. Red-hot waves coiled in your stomach. _He's strong. Safe. This is nice._ "I'm, sorry. I-I'm in your space. I should really—" You could hardly find your words. Without finishing, you made a move to get up.

"'My space'?" He repeated with a touch of amusement in his tone. He held you tighter, denying your attempt at escape. "Kitten, I think you should know by now that you can be in my space _all_ you want."

Your face started to burn. It got worse when the heat spread to your neck and ears, too.

"Besides," He rested his face against the back of your head and pressed even more of his body to yours. "I'm always down to cuddle.~"

Meanwhile, the boys obnoxiously made catcalls and whistling sounds.

Namely, Lutz and Allen did.

You shot an exasperated glare at Allen that read _you better shut the fuck up_ right before you realized he'd probably meant for this to happen. Damn him. Damn Flavio. Damn whoever else was in on this mortifying little plot.

"...You planned this didn't you." Yeah, you weren't just going to _not_ call them out on their shit.

"Planned what?" Zao seemed oblivious, but Allen's and Flavio's pleased looks said otherwise.

"Mm, you're so soft, you know that?" He brought your position back to his attention. "And, like, do you _naturally_ smell this good?" He trailed his fingers down your skin, over your bare thighs, allowing his hands to roam wherever they pleased. "Your scent is so sweet..."

You found yourself wishing you'd opted for pants instead of shorts this morning — but only because of how arousing his touch was. _I should really smack his hands away..._ you told yourself.

_I could. And I would, too. Except..._ well, except that you didn't precisely _want_ to. "I guess I do naturally smell pretty good.~" You responded lightheartedly.

From then on, the fact that you were sitting in his lap seemed like the most natural thing in the world. The hooting and catcalling died down, and the guys returned to their usual conversation. Even their jokes didn't involve you or Zao.

As they were on the topic of random guys they hated at school — or, no, more like the _roasting_ of random guys at their school, you felt a pair of eyes on you. Turning slightly, you caught Kuro watching you. "_____." He was sitting so close. He'd always been seated there right next to Zao, even since before you'd wound up on his lap, but you hadn't noticed him until now.

"Yeah?"

Due to the limited couch space, he sat only about eight inches away. You were eye-level with him, face-to-face, and this close up, somehow he didn't look as menacing.

Ruby eyes glowing, he took a quick scan of your body on top of Zao's and then promptly said, "You two look like the beginning of a bad porn video."

You snorted. _Guess when someone in their circle of friends is crushing on someone, they all make it their personal mission to embarrass the girl as much as possible._

"You would know, wouldn't you Kuro-neko?" Zao teased.

"'Kuro-neko'?" You repeated. _That last word sounds familiar._

"Japanese for 'black cat',"

"Oh, nice." _I'm not even gonna question his nicknames for people._

"He kind of looks like he'd be a black cat, doesn't he?"

You gazed at Kuro's glossy raven hair. "Yep."

"...No comment." He grumbled.

"Anyway," He looked away from Kuro and placed his chin on your shoulder. "Aren't you gonna praise me for knowing so many languages?" He gave your clothed shoulder a little nip that nearly made you jump.

"'So many'? How many?"

He grinned, "Four,"

_Four? Wow. He's probably really smart._

Numbering off on his fingers, he listed, "English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean. Yeah, they're similar, but still mega useful, haha."

"First off: how come you never told me before?"

He shrugged. "You never asked."

Waving off the feeling of guilt, you continued with, "Second, you... you don't sound very Asian though."

He tilted his head a bit, leaning it on yours. "How so? Do tell." He paused. "I _am_ very Asian, though." He sounded both playful and prideful.

"Like... you don't have a touch of an Asian accent, and the way you talk is really... Americanized."

He shrugged again. "Blame San Francisco."

A moment later, you glanced around at all the people in the room. They were still chatting away — although raucously — without paying either you or Zao any attention. "Well, looks like I've finally met all your friends..."

You trailed off just as Allen caught the end of your sentence. His attention grabbed, he stared at you and wickedly decided, "Yo, let's play a game."

"What game?" Luciano asked before you got the opportunity.

Allen smiled 'innocently'. "How about, Who Can Embarrass _____ the Fastest?" He then added, "With only ten seconds to talk to her."

You gawked. "...N _o!"_

"Sounds fun." Luciano coolly stated.

"I'm in!" Lutz threw an arm in the air, grinning at you.

Zao glowered. "Only _I_ can do that..."

Ignoring him, Allen said, "I'll start."

_So much for him shipping us,_ you hissed in your mind. _Seriously Allen, what are you doing?_

He leaned over towards you, his elbows resting on his knees. "Alright—"

"-Wait up Al," Flavio interrupted. For a moment, you thought he was going to save you from an agonizing death of embarrassment, but instead he suggested, "Make it romantic! Think of a song or poem to serenade her with, ehehehe!~"

"Er, what? A _song?"_ He glanced out the window — perhaps for an inspiration miracle. His line of sight led to his parked Jeep Commander. Looking back to you, he joked, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star. Let's have sex inside my car?"

A few snickers arose and Oliver clapped his hands. "Excellent rhyme, Allen! So proud of you!~" You weren't sure if the pinkette was being serious or not.

"I can top that," Zao challenged.

"Please don't," You protested.

Sneering, he faced you, until... his face went completely blank. Obviously he didn't actually know how to top that. "UmmMM?!" The room had gone completely silent again. "...Roses are red. Violets are blue? I like rice. Let's have sex."

The room exploded into boyish giggles again as Allen jumped up and pointed at him accusingly. "You copied me, dickweed!"

Thankfully, the 'game' died down after that, but they still teased you occasionally. Not that you minded _too_ much.

_These are my new friends... wow..._ You began to feel a sense of that belonging you'd always wanted, and it kept you smiling for the rest of the day. _They make me happy._

...Especially the one whose lap you were still sitting in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //grumbles i wish 2p china was more popular uwu


	11. He's Never Been in Love

"Oooh, what do you think of this?" You pointed to a shirt on a high rack.

"...Looks _way_ last season."

"Mm, but I don't exactly keep up with trends..."

Flavio stood behind you with his arms crossed. "Clearly! I don't even see why we're shopping in a dreary place like _this_."

You shrugged, "We're in Chinatown. We _live_ here."

"Which means we don't go shopping here, don't you know the rules? We're supposed to go to the outlets or to a mall with name brands," He finger-combed his blonde hair as he turned on his heel and stepped away from the aisle. "Tsk, tsk. I thought I taught you better, honey."

You laughed as you followed him through the store. "You know, I think you're my first sassy gay friend."

At this, he swiveled back around to face you. "Hey!" He poked your forehead with his double-ringed finger, "I am _bisexual_ , there's a difference." He flipped his scarf and turned back to keep walking.

You were still giggling as your phone vibrated with a new text message.

**Zao:** lets bang

You did a double take. The next moment, your phone buzzed again.

**Zao:** oops I meant hang

**Zao:** ...

**Zao:** no I didn't

You laughed. _Well at least he found his phone,_ you thought, remembering that one night he got shit-faced and lost it for weeks.

Flavio peered down at your hands. "What's so funny?"

You kept your phone screen carefully hidden from him. "Nothin'."

"Bullshit." He lunged for your phone, ignored your squeal of protest, and snatched it from your palms. "Aha! Mr. Get-In-Your-Pants texted you. And... what, is he trying to be smooth?"

You grabbed it back. "I wouldn't call that 'trying'."

"Tell him we're near Brooklyn Place."

"Brooklyn?" You still weren't knowledgeable about the street names around here.

"Yes," He chuckled. "But careful not to say 'Broadway'; that's where the red light district is."

You bit your lip as you remembered Zao telling you about those. As soon as you sent the text, you suggested, "Hey, that place looks cool. Let's go there." You tugged him over to an Asian sweet shop next door.

After about ten minutes, you stumbled out with a bag of some neat Japanese candy. "Hn, enjoy those while you can. I'm trying to avoid carbs," Flavio commented as you two crossed the street. "Oh, and did Zao text you back?"

You checked your phone. "He said he's in the lighter shop."

He shivered, "Y'know, I'd hate to be in that place if a pyromaniac ever showed up."

"Why? Do you know any pyros?"

He stared at you with an unamused _do-I-really-have-to-remind-you_ look on his face.

_"Oh,"_ You remembered. " _Jin_. I hope Zao never lets Jin inside a lighter shop."

A few minutes later, the two of you walked into the said shop. It was a small and square hole-in-the-wall type of store, but three out of the four walls were covered with shelves of different types of novelty lighters and flasks. Most of them were chrome and heavy duty. Glass showing cases served as counters near and around the cash register, and they displayed countless types of lighter accessories and high-quality cigars.

"It smells like cigarette smoke in here." You coughed as you went to stand by Zao, who was leaning against a counter and paying for a new lighter.

"Well, what did you expect?" Flavio replied as he nervously eyed the butane torches.

At the sound of your voices, Zao turned around. You noticed he was buying a Jackie Chan lighter. "Cute," You noted halfheartedly.

He looked concerned. "My favorite Hello Kitty one broke..."

As he said this, you glanced down at his shirt. He wasn't wearing his usual black and red-accented Chinese style clothes today. He still had on his military hat, but his black t-shirt said 'Fuck – I'm high' and had a picture of an astronaut looming in space over the Earth.

He was wearing his usual black slacks and knee-high combat boots, but that didn't stop you from saying, "You look like such a stoner today."

He looked down at his shirt. "Oh," He laughed. "This is an old Christmas gift from Allen."

"And that's not even my favorite shirt of his," Flavio chimed in with a quiet giggle.

Zao shot him a childish glare. "Flavs, shut up."

"What's your favorite shirt of his...?" Just the idea that fashion-obsessed Flavio could like _anything_ of Zao's was baffling.

"Uh, the one that says 'Single as Fuck'. Luciano got me that one on my seventeenth birthday. Everyone likes to laugh at me."

You stifled a laugh as Flavio shot back, "No, not that one! The other one!"

Zao distracted himself by playing with his new lighter. _Flick_. A small fire ignited. Absentmindedly, he said, "There is no other one."

You couldn't help but wonder if he didn't want to talk about the other shirt. Before you could say anything, Flavio turned to you and grinned. "He has a shirt that says ' _I would cuddle you so hard._ ' Isn't that adorable?"

You didn't speak for a moment. You turned to look at Zao and saw he was waiting for your reaction.

"Well... uh, is it adorable, _____?" Was it your imagination or did he look a little flustered?

Eventually, you said, "...It _is_ pretty adorable, but who gave you _that_ shirt?"

He looked down as if that was the one question he was hoping you wouldn't ask.

"Funny, I don't remember who gave you that one either," Flavio sounded genuinely curious. "Who was it?"

Zao stuffed the lighter into his pocket and pushed past both you and Flavio for the exit. "Huh? Oh, just some girl."

As he opened the door and waited for you to follow him, you felt time stop for a moment.

_'Just some girl.'_

...How had it never occurred to you that Zao might have an ex-girlfriend? Or, perhaps, a long list of past girlfriends?

_Has he ever been in a serious relationship?,_ you found yourself wondering with just a twinge of jealousy. _A serious, close enough relationship for the girl to have given him a gift like that?_

"_____? You coming?" Flavio asked from the doorframe.

"Y-Yeah," You replied as you stumbled over to them. Your legs felt a little unsteady and you had an uncomfortable feeling flowing through your body due to the thoughts.

"...You okay?" Flavio's tone was soft, empathetic.

_He knows how I feel about Zao,_ you realized. _He's already noticed what's wrong._

You didn't answer, and that gave him the clear message that he was right.

"Yo guys, there's something I need to get from over there." Zao pointed to a random tourist shop. Luckily, he hadn't heard Flavio's question.

As the three of you crossed the street to the store, Flavio brought up the sensitive topic again. _Thank god_. "Hey Zao, who was the girl that gave you that cuddling shirt?"

Different responses ran through your mind. _'My ex',_ you expected him to say. _'Someone I still like'._

You agitatedly ran a hand through your hair. _I need to stop being so jealous._

"...One of my old clients." He answered.

You looked up. There wasn't a hint of difference in his expression. _And everyone knows how honest he is_... you recalled.

"Really? But you can't standmost of your clients..." You noticed Flavio was purposely enunciating certain parts for you to overhear. _He's seriously the greatest friend ever,_ you thought as you felt your body lighten from the previous discomfort.

"I _do!_ Her included. Why do you think I didn't want to talk about it? She was just trying to get laid."

You laughed aloud. A laugh of relief felt better than an exhale of relief. "But I thought any guy would jump at the opportunity to get laid?" You asked.

"Hm... maybe I'm not any guy, kitten." He side-glanced at you with a knowing smirk and licked his lower lip.

"Besides, aren't all those girls just gross, home-wrecking methheads?" Flavio had his _Mean Girls_ voice going and obviously couldn't stop.

"Damn Flavio," You joked. " _Rude."_

"He's _right_ though," Zao agreed. The three of you were in the store now. "That's part of why you're so appealing to me, _____~. Anyway, be right back." He turned and dashed down the steps to the downstairs part of the shop.

"So... he's saying...—"

"Girls who do drugs are trash. Didn't you figure that much, darling?" Flavio grinned like he'd just succeeded a mission for you, which would actually ring quite true. "Also, promiscuous girls are nearly all that're around here. Hence part of why Zao said you're so appealing.~" He winked.

The relief that swirled around you combined with the hints from Zao made you giddy and almost light-headed with happiness. "Sh-Shut up..."

"And in case you're wondering, I know for a fact that Zao's never had a serious girlfriend."

You gazed up at him. In his moment of glory, there may as well have been sparkles dancing around him. "Flavio... can you read minds?"

"No, but I can read the body language of lovesick girls."

Grinning, you covered your face, turned away, and half-screamed, half-laughed. "I was _not_ lovesick...!"

He snickered as he continued, "He's had flings, gone to strip clubs, and worked at a brothel for a year, but has dated no one. _Ever_. Why do you think Luci got him that single shirt? Because he'd always been single and we thought it would never change. Oh, and he was still a virgin when he lived in China."

"Now I think you're going too far..." _Not_ that you were going to stop him from spilling all of the secrets he knew about Zao.

"He's never loved anyone, ______. Until, well..." Right when you were listening the most, he trailed off.

And then it occurred to you. Maybe he doesn't know all this from guessing. Maybe he knows because Zao told him something. _But... what did he tell him?_

"Flavio?"

He didn't continue. "...Quit making me go all Regina George!" He cried out.

"I didn't do anything!" You squeaked back.

After a few seconds, he let out a defeated sigh. "So... exactly how much do you like him?"

Feeling conquered, you looked down to your shoes. "...I don't know. But, I _do_ like him." You finally admitted.

He gave you a gentle smile, and at that moment, you felt relieved that Flavio was the first person you told about this.

_Or... not!_ You immediately remembered how much he liked to gossip and dish secrets _. But, he wouldn't do that to me..._ you reassured yourself.

"I know," He patted your head. "Trust me honey, I know."

About two minutes later, Zao bounded back up the stairs. He was waving a small rectangular box as he cheerily exclaimed, "I got some Pocky!"

You eyed the box of candy. "Is _that_ what you needed to get so badly?"

Flavio stared hard at him. "...Low-key judging you."

He laughed and beckoned for you to follow him. "Let's go to Portsmouth Square."

About five minutes later, the three of you arrived at the said park. "Why did you want us here again?" You inquired.

"I told you already; to play a game."

"You didn't say what kind of game," Flavio pointed out. "Is it one of your weird ones?"

"It's not as weird as Seven Minutes in Heaven, if that's what you're gettin' at,"

You stepped past some statues; they looked shinier than usual. Glancing around, you noticed that the re-modeling was about finished. The historical grounds looked a lot cleaner, the playground was bigger and modernized, the plants and trees were greener, and the Chinese-style architecture look even better with its polished curved-up rooftops.

"Hey babe, remember that one time we played Spin the—"

Zao instantly tugged on Flavio's hair curl to shut him up. "- _Flav._ Don't."

You almost _choked_. Eyes widened, you turned to Zao and gaped. "You guys played _Spin the Bottle_? With _who_?"

He pouted slightly and looked away, " _I_ didn't. I just happened to be in the room is all. But, _they_ —" He pointed accusingly to Flavio, "-did. Him, Oliver, Allen, and some others of our homo or part-homo friends played together. It was kind of funny."

You burst out laughing. "A bunch of _guys_ played Spin the Bottle together and you were in the room?"

He plopped down on one of the park's tables and nodded. "They tried to get me to play a bunch of times, but I'm a little too _straight_ for that... especially regarding you, if you know what I mean." Elbow on the tabletop, he propped his face up on his hand as he gazed at you in lovestruck admiration.

"Well _I'm_ not," Flavio joked as he sat across from him. "That night was fun. I got to smooch Oliver. He was so embarrassed; it was adorable."

Zao kept his eyes on you as he pleaded, "...A lot of my friends are kinda gay. Can you help me?"

You snorted. "I think I love you guys a bit more now, to be honest."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, me and Lutz have gotten them more into drinking games anyway."

"Beer pong!" Flavio sang, doing a small fist-pump.

_My friends are kind of crazy,_ you briefly thought to yourself as you sat down next to Zao.

A weeping willow tree was directly above the table, and it provided some nice shade from the summer sun. Across the park, you spotted a group of Chinatown natives doing a scheduled Tai Chi routine.

"Anyway," Zao dropped the box onto the table. "Time to do what we came here for."

"So what's this game?" Flavio asked.

_Hmm, 'game'?_ You looked down at the box and noticed it said the word 'Pocky'. You swiftly pulled out your phone, opened Google, and put two and two together. The first result's explanation was all you needed to read before you threw your phone down in mortification. "We are _not_ playing the Pocky game together," You huffed.

"Aw, why not?" He whined.

Flavio piped up, "Oh! Isn't that a kissing game?"

Zao nodded, avoiding eye contact, a thin blush across his face. "It was the only way I could think of to get her to kiss me..." He shyly grumbled.

You froze up at that point; you couldn't figure out a way to respond to that.

He seemed to notice, seeing as he scooted closer to you and cooed, "The way you look so surprised is really cute," His smile was cheeky. "You're so adorable _____."

"Th-The way you say I'm cute makes it sound like you're talking to a child..."

His eyes flashed roguishly. "Oh, I can make it sound more adult, if you'd like?"

"I hate to ruin the moment, but are we gonna play this or not?" Flavio looked all too excited for this little game.

Zao gawked at him. "...Bro, you're more into this than _her_."

He 'angelically' batted his eyelashes at him in response.

He stared at him for another moment. "...Y'know, Flavio, you're like a girl in a lot of ways."

"Oooh, is that so?" He winked at you. "Better watch out _____, I might steal yo man."

"As _if."_ Zao scoffed.

You laughed at their banter and added, "His feminine side is part of why I love him.~"

"Then you should've been there that one time I accidentally walked in on him getting out of the shower. He screamed like a chick and threw a toothbrush at me."

Flavio laughed at the memory. "What can I say? Zao, you've always been a perv."

"Anyway," He tried for the second time to get your attention on the game. "_____, play with me."

"I don't think so." You shot down with a smile.

Flavio carelessly waved his arm, _"I'll_ play with you, boo."

Zao fleetingly shoved his hand in the Italian's face and growled, "_____'s playing with me."

You looked at Flavio. "Do you keep hitting on Zao on purpose?"

He immediately howled with laughter, "It's so fun to see him get annoyed!~"

"Dude, you're like, being my reverse wingman and I don't appreciate it," Zao nonchalantly commented as he stuck a Pocky in his mouth. Turning to face you, he said, "So are we doing this?"

You snickered. "Uh, no."

"You may as well do it," He chuckled. "If you don't, I'll tell people we kissed anyway."

"But...-!"

"-Exactly."

"They'd probably believe him..." Flavio reasoned.

"Yeah, and... er, what's that saying we used to do at slumber parties...?" Zao momentarily turned to Flavio for help.

He grinned. "Oh, it's 'Whatever happens here stays here'."

"Okay, one: you guys are such _girls_. Two: we are literally out in public!" You hissed back.

He grabbed the Pocky out of his mouth, tossed it over his shoulder, then shrugged. "Same thing. Now, look. I'll give you a kiss. If you don't want it, you can return it.~" He leaned into you, close enough to breathe in his natural scent of soap and smoke.

"I-I'm so confused. Are you joking? I literally can't even tell with you anymore."

He let out a soft laugh below his breath. "I wasn't kidding about the game. But if you don't want to play it, we won't. I can just kiss you and we'll call it even."

You sucked in a breath of both shock and embarrassment, "H-How does that make anything even?!"

Flavio fell into a fit of giggles. "Un- _fucking_ -believable! This is hilarious; I won't tell anyone, I promise!"

Zao peered at him and comically moped, "She likes to make me _beg_."

"I'm not _making_ you do anything - _you're_ the one trying to get us to kiss!" By now, your face was burning up. You couldn't deny that there was a small part of you that totally wanted Zao to kiss you.

He scooted closer to you and sensuously whispered, "It wouldn't have to mean anything, kitten. Would it really kill you if we kissed?"

_...Would it?_

No. In fact, you knew deep down that you wanted to.

"If I say yes will you stop talking about it?" You blurted before you could change your mind.

As soon as the words were out, you felt your blood jump in a sort of spiked heartrate. Nervous electricity immediately coursed through your veins as you mentally prepared yourself for whatever his response would be.

He smiled animalistically, like a creature finally given permission from the gods to act upon his desires. "You can shut me up with a kiss anytime."

"J-Just _one,"_ You shakily interjected.

"Okay."

He moved in closer, and your vision seemed to play in slow motion after that. Your eyelids fluttered closed and the rest of the world muted away for just a moment.

Seconds later –but what felt more like minutes of agony – it happened.

You stiffened when his warm lips pressed to yours.

You paused. You didn't know what to do.

For the second time that day, it seemed as though time had stopped.

Waves of heat crashed over your body when you felt his mouth seal over yours and, just as quick as he'd come – he moved away after a faint, chaste pecking sound.

Your lids remained closed a few seconds longer, as if awaiting another kiss.

Finally, the sound of Flavio's muffled laugher got you to snap out of it.

You pulled away and caught him in the act – the little shit was recording with his phone for future blackmail.

Gently touching your mouth, you looked back to Zao with wide eyes.

He was staring at you and, what a sight — he was blushing like crazy. He looked just as stunned as you were.

_Did he_ not _expect this to happen?!_ You asked yourself, _And what happened to his confident self from just moments before? Was this really as nerve-racking for him as it was for me?_

You couldn't look at him anymore. Embarrassed, you buried your face into your arms over the tabletop.

Your skin burned worse when you realized you wanted more of him. That was _hardly_ a kiss, but at the moment, you just wanted to grab his face and full-on make out with him. _Ohmygod, this actually happened..._

After another awkward few seconds, Zao must have recovered. You heard him start laughing, beginning from a chuckle. "Huh... like, wow? I didn't think you'd actually let me do that?!" More laughter, and Flavio joined in with him.

"Oh, and send me that video."

"Will do!"

"Haha, and, _____..." He patted your hair; his voice was soft. "Mmph... I can't wait for our real first kiss..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy sHIT this had been the most embarrassing chapter so far, can you believe the original version had them ACTUALLY PLAY the pocky game?? lmao so cringe thank god its gone


	12. His Actions Speak Louder Than Words

"I can't believe this is happening..." You mumbled aloud as you paced your bedroom.

You'd just gotten off the phone with one of your friends from your hometown. She'd informed you of all the new problems that had sprouted up since you moved away. According to her, a lot of drama was going on with the kids in your grade back home. Some of your friends weren't getting along, and some were picking sides.

_They need to grow up,_ you reasoned _. How are they still getting into fights?_

All the bad news casted you nothing but stress. _I've never seen things get this bad between them. I wish I could help._

_...But there's nothing I can do besides call some of them._

And what's worse, you were alone in your house with no one to distract you from the tension. If either of your parents were here, you'd try to forget about everything by striking up a conversation with them. But both of them were working late. It was rare, but they said they could really use the extra money.

_...I don't want to think about this anymore._ Just as the thought crossed your mind, your phone rang again. Now, a different friend was calling, probably to contradict what the other one had said.

You ignored the call and threw your phone onto the bed.

_I don't think my new friends are like this_ , you realized. Your new friends here in San Francisco seemed to get along even when they acted like they hated each other. However... they were all _boys_ , but perhaps that was why they didn't have nearly as many issues.

You considered going across the hall to Allen's house, maybe see if he could hang out for a while, but you didn't want to bother him with your problems. You knew that if you went over to his house, you'd probably end up ranting about what was going on with all these people he didn't know anyway. _So that idea's out._

Still, you felt isolated in here. Ever since you moved to Chinatown, you'd become more social and hung out with someone – _anyone_ – almost every day. Be it either Allen, Flavio, Oliver, Zao, hell, sometimes even Luciano. So, being with no one was starting to feel lonely and strange.

As you were thinking about your old friends again, your phone vibrated with a new text _. It's probably from one of them about what's going on over there... I miss them, but I don't miss the arguments_. Sighing, you picked up your phone.

**Zao:** sHut up man i dontt even talk to her Anymre nd u should know bettre then to text me whne im high fuck yyou

You chuckled a bit. _Wrong contact, Zao._

You read it one more time and sighed. "He's so high it's not even funny..." You whispered aloud.

And the ironic thing is that it _is_ pretty funny, especially with all those typos, but you'd never actually spoken to him while he was high before.

You couldn't help that you were a bit curious, even though this wasn't necessarily a good thing. _But I wonder who he's talking about and who he meant to send this to._

An idea crept into your mind.

_No, maybe I shouldn't..._

Your thumb hovered over the 'call' button on his contact.

You snickered at the possibilities. You'd never heard his phone-voice before, and it probably sounded hilarious while all drugged up. Besides, he might say some bat-shit things that you could totally use for future blackmail. _It would serve him right for keeping that video of us that Flavio took after I told them a million times to delete it...!_

Suddenly, a memory slammed into your consciousness.

_"I just like you so much,"_ He'd said while heavily intoxicated. That flashback was still very clear.

_...So I've seen him drunk once and he admitted something I don't think he normally would have admitted._

You didn't want another confession while he was under the influence. But how would you know that would even happen?

Your thoughts rushed back to tenth-grade Health class.

_"Being high is different from being intoxicated. When someone's high off marijuana for example, they will be more conscious of what they're saying and doing. While drunk with alcohol, they will have little control of how they act or speak. Marijuana relaxes the body and keeps users mildly aware of what's going on around them."_

...So would it be okay to call him?

You still felt like you wanted _someone_ to talk to. You didn't like bottling up your problems and feelings anymore.

However, Allen would probably tell you to stop complaining, Flavio would be all _interested_ in the drama instead of helping you cope with it, and Oliver had said himself that he disliked drama. Luciano, Kuro, and Lutz were out of the question since you definitely weren't close enough with any of them.

Those left Zao, and for another obvious reason as well – what better way to cheer oneself up than to speak with their crush?

_And I'll get to hear his high-off-drugs-voice..._ you pressed 'call' before you got the chance to change your mind.

He picked up after two rings. "Yoooooooo,"

_...Oh my god._

You giggled. His voice was indeed cute, slow, and mellowed out. "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Baked."

_Obviously_. You decided it was best to remain cautious and clear with how you worded things. "...What are you on?"

A scrabbling sound was heard from the other end of the line, and you guessed he was getting up from something. "Nothin' big," You could hear the gradual smile through his voice as he spoke, followed by a giggle. A freakin' _giggle_. You'd heard that people high off marijuana will laugh or giggle a whole lot, but he'd sounded like a little boy for a moment there. "Just some pot, haha."

You'd never done drugs before and you never planned to, but that didn't mean you weren't inquisitive about its effects. "Hmm," You plopped down on your bed. "...Tell me everything about how you're feeling."

"Turned on."

You snorted, "What?" You'd read in your Health textbook about responses to marijuana, but sexual stimulation _usually_ wasn't one of them. "Er, why?"

"Your voice... you calling me." He made a humming sound, but it was low and could easily be mistaken for a soft moan.

_Holy hell, he's so cute._ You turned to lie on your side and hugged a pillow with your free arm. "So besides that, how else are you feeling?"

"I feel like... like, sleepy."

_That's a common one,_ you noted. Who ever knew you'd remember all these things from Health class anyway?

"Sleepy but mostly horny and... mmgh, kinda hungry. Yeah. Dude, _hungry_."

"Yeah, I heard people high off weed will get the munchies."

"...and I have such a hard-on right now."

"I, uh, didn't need to know that."

He breathed out unevenly. "Nngh... I'm... gonna go get some like, Panda Express."

"You do that. Get me some orange chicken while you're at it," You toyed with a loose thread on your comforter for a moment. _I'm a little surprised at how calm this conversation is._ "Anything else?"

"Well... it feels like... everything's right in the world."

"So you feel a sense of peace and harmony?"

"Mmm-hm."

"I see," You wondered if he could handle any tricky questions. _Oh what is he, my test subject?_ You chuckled at the thought. _He's like a guinea pig and I'll be his observer_. "So... by Fall Out Boy's decree, you have to answer this one question: if the world were to remember something about you for centuries, what would you want it to be?"

"My dick."

You facepalmed. But then again, what were you expecting?

_He's answering all my questions though,_ you realized. "Err, by the way. I think you sent me a text by accident..."

"Oh," _Adorably_ , his voice both softened and squeaked. "I'm sorry."

"It said, 'Shut up man, I don't even talk to her anymore'."

"I think I meant to send that to Veggie Bullshit,"

"Um..."

"That's... his name in my contacts."

"Allen?"

"Yee."

You waited for him to explain it. He didn't.

Perhaps you had to ask him to get him talking. "What girl were you talking about?"

"The chick who used to sell me heroin. Allen said I should stop buyin' that shit."

"And did you?"

"Yup yuup. But lemme be real with you," Another scratchy sound came from the other end, followed by a boyish grunt. " _Ouch_ , I just fuckin' tripped over a katana. KURO, COME PUT THIS SHIT AWAY." He probably didn't realize he was also yelling into the phone. "YER LUCKY IT WAS _SHEATHED_ ,"

"Okay, anyway. You were saying?" You pressed.

"Oh. Like..." His voice lowered to a near-whisper. "_____... I crave the things that'll ultimately destroy me."

Your lips parted in surprise. "W-What do you mean...?"

He sounded so solemn all of a sudden; perhaps this was another phase of the marijuana's effects.

"I mean... you're gonna be the death of me, _____."

"Wow... you just got so, like... gloomy on me."

"I'm trying to say," A heavy sigh was heard through the phone. "If drugs won't kill me... you will."

_Don't know if I like where this is going._ "And how would I do that? I'll have you know I'm not a serial killer."

"I try to get away... I do."

"And?"

"Pills only take the edge off for so long."

A wave of nervous tension crashed through your body. "Why do you try to get away?"

"M'life kinda sucks, but then I remember you exist."

You dropped the pillow and got up. He'd gone way too morbid. _Is he trying to say..._

"I wanna leave this world. Like, forever. Sometimes. No... a lot. Err, wait no. I used to. Not anymore. Yeah, not no more, eheheh."

"...Why?" Your voice was barely above a whisper.

"I _told_ you already, silly kitten. But, 'member that one question you just asked me?"

"Uh... the one about being remembered for centuries?"

"Yeah. I just thought of something,"

"What is it?"

"I don't give two shits if no one remembers me. But. You. _____, you. I want you to remember me. For always. I don't care if everyone else forgets."

_...He's so sweet_. You breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's thoughtful of you..."

"_____," He said. "You're the reason I don't go to Wonderland as much anymore. I think... _you're_ the reason I'm still here in the real world."

Your heart melted at that point.

"_____?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm all yours and I've got no control."

_What he's saying... actually makes sense..._ you thought about everything he'd just said. _He was trying to tell me... he's not suicidal anymore because of me? He's not doing hardcore drugs anymore because of me? I make him happy enough?_

_Am I... really that special to him?_

He said all this while high off marijuana, yes, but that didn't mean it was nothing but the truth. If he said this all while sober, the only difference would've been the wording and maybe the pacing.

"...Zao, you have control."

"Not when it comes to my love. It's bigger than me. I can't... stop. Thinking about you. Wanting you. Sometimes I feel like... mmh, I wonder if I'm in love. I think... holy fuck, _____, I think I'm really in love."

_Stop right there. Stop right there. For the love of god, stop. Right. There._ "Th-Think about it long and hard. Then sober up and tell me your conclusion. Um, b-byefornow." You hung up before he could spill anything else.

If he was going to admit anything, you wouldn't allow it to be while he's on something.

You laid back on your mattress and rolled around a bit. Stretched. Inhaled, exhaled. Tried to calm your pounding heart. Replayed parts of the conversation over and over again. It's quiet in the condo; you knew it as well as you knew your feelings for Zao had deeply intensified.

You closed your eyes and subconsciously imagined what he looked like when he said those words.

_"I crave the things that'll ultimately destroy me."_

_"You're gonna be the death of me, _____."_

_"I want you to remember me. For always. I don't care if everyone else forgets."_

_"I'm all yours and I've got no control."_

_"I think I'm really in love."_

What had his expressions been like? Had he ever planned to tell you these things?

You eventually fell asleep to the thoughts and images of Zao on your mind.

** D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Two hours later, you woke up from the nap. Night had fallen and your room was much darker now. You hadn't left your house all day, you realized.

_Well, at least Zao distracted me from the drama with my old friends._ That information now felt like it was a million miles away; like it was no longer your problem.

And it was _not_ to begin with. In the end, this drama with friends back home didn't actually matter.

After grasping this, you immediately felt unbridled relief. Your body was overtaken with a light-as-a-feather feeling that left you smiling.

Rolling over in your bed, you reached for your phone on the nightstand. _Maybe Mom called while I was passed out._

To your horror, you saw your phone was blown up with 27 new text messages, 9 missed calls, and 2 voice mails.

One text was from your mother, saying she and Dad wouldn't be home till around eleven tonight. The rest of the messages were from your friends whom you were trying to forget. Things like this used to happen often, and why were they trying to pull you into it? _You didn't even live in the same state as them anymore,_ for Christ's sake.

All this did was put you back into a foul mood – and right when you'd just been graced with solace, too.

The only other way you felt besides upset was _hungry_. Well, that's a decent distraction.

You got up and made something to eat. Then you tried to watch TV. Nothing was on so you tried to read a book. You couldn't focus on the story, so you tried to do something, _anything_ – but you still contained that uncomfortable feeling about your 'friends'.

You'd told them you wanted nothing to do with this, and they were angry. You figured they'd get over it and move on, but that didn't change the fact that you were too stressed to do anything at the moment.

Zao was still lingering in your mind too, so that didn't help.

By now, you were pacing your room. You tried to sit at your desk but couldn't do much besides think and stare at your carpet.

A new message shook you out of your musing. You groaned; you would have turned it off if you weren't expecting another call from your parents.

Begrudgingly, you checked it, hoping it wouldn't be one of the people from back home again.

It wasn't.

**Zao:** I thought about it like you said. Can I come over?

First thing that registered: oh good, it looks like he's sober now.

Second thing: ho _ly_ _shit he 'thought' about it?!_

You hadn't been expecting him to bring this up again, at least not for a while.

_Does this mean tonight's the night that he tells me?_ you wondered, panic slowly rising in your chest. _Is he really going to tell me he likes me?_ Another frenzied thought crashed into your brain like an explosion: _ohmygod is he going to ask me out?!_

You inhaled deeply. _I'm freaking out way too much about this..._

Were you ready for this? The answer was yes, because you'd already accepted that you liked him. Hell, you'd somewhat _kissed_ him yesterday. It wasn't anything real, or remotely romantic, but it was still something that you'd wanted to do.

You looked at yourself in the mirror. For just waking up from a nap, you didn't look too bad. You fixed your hair a bit and changed your clothes, and you figured you looked presentable. "Slow down there..." You said aloud. You'd just stopped yourself from spritzing on perfume.

_I'm totally ready for this,_ you convinced yourself as you lunged for the phone again. You re-read the message. Yeah, it definitely sounded like he wanted to confess face-to-face to you tonight.

Your heart throbbed hysterically. You liked him _so much_. He was a precious boy even through his perversion; an angel despite his sin of lust. He always told you what was on his mind since day one, and it was about time for you to do the same. _It shouldn't be too hard to tell him I like him too..._

With that in mind, you texted him back. 'Sure, you can come.'

Letting out a deep breath, you walked into your living room and sat on the couch. Your hands were sweaty, but you felt excited. Eager. Anxious.

_I can't believe he remembered our whole conversation while he was high..._ but then again, drugs aren't like beer _. "You remember what you do and say, for the most part, instead of waking up with a hangover and memory loss of what happened the night before."_ So, Zao had remembered everything.

Ten minutes later, you got a new text. It was from someone in your old town. _Groan_. There was still _that_ to deal with. You decided to reply in a way that would end things entirely before Zao got here, so that you wouldn't have to worry about it when he arrived.

Halfway through the message, the front door flew open. "Knock knock," He said as he stepped into your house.

He took one look at you and instantly knew something was wrong. Turning serious, he asked, "What happened?"

_He can tell I'm upset that easily?_ "I... er, nothing, just some drama with friends back home..." You pocketed your phone without finishing the text.

"Ah... sorry to hear that."

"It's no big deal," You paused. "You wanted to talk, right? Let's go in my room." You led him down the hallway but sensed a hint of apprehension in the way he followed. _I wonder if he's okay._

Once you were both in your room, you watched him carefully. He glanced around a bit and then inquired, "Uh... so where are your parents?"

You stiffened _. This just got way more awkward_. "Umm..."

He took a step back, flinching. "... _Please_ don't tell me they're not home?"

You smiled gingerly. "Uh, sorry...?" _Well, shit._ This was a bigger problem than you thought.

"Are you... Is this some kind of test?" He frantically looked around, "Are they gonna pop out of the closet any second or something because holy mother of fuck I can't actually believe I'm literally in a house all alone with the girl I like and—" He took in a breath, "-at _night_. In. Your. Bedroom?!"

"Th-They're not gonna pop out of the closet," was your blurted, hurried response.

Maniacally, he turned to you and gripped your shoulders. "This is all your fault and you have to take full responsibility, dammit! Can I just say that I thought your parents would be home? Because I totally thought your parents would be home. Please don't think I'm some creep, and – wait, why _didn't_ you tell me your parents wouldn't be home?!"

You grabbed his hands and gently pried them off your shoulders. "You're overreacting..."

"Am _not_ ," He gestured around wildly, which would have been funny if the situation weren't so dire. "I-I'm just nervous. We're alone in your bedroom; this is _kindofabigdeal_..."

_Is he implying that I make him nervous? No way..._ It was now your turn to be as blunt as him. "Er, what? Does it seem like we're going to have sex?"

He blushed. _Heavily_.

"It-It's not like I came here to get laid." He looked down to the rug and you saw that even down his neck and collar bone had flushed pink.

You grinned at him. It was official: he'd lost his cool. _Entirely_. "You know... you're acting really flustered. It's... It's the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Shut up," He pouted at the floor and kept his hat shading his eyes. Beneath the brim were his pink-dusted cheeks and cutely shaped lips.

He lightly kicked your desk chair as he turned and softly admitted, "You... You make me kinda crazy, you know that?"

Your insides warmed at his remark. "I-I know." _I'm crazy about you too._ You contemplated if you should say that or not.

A few seconds of silence passed.

Your phone went off again. "Who's that?"

"My stupid friends from back home." You briefly checked the message. It was nothing important – 'so whose side are you on????' was all it said. You powered off the device and tossed it aside.

He took in a deep breath. "...Channeling my inner self to calm the fuck down,"

You laughed, and then he rubbed his eyes. "Anyway..." He moved to go sit down next to you on the mattress. "These friends. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing..." You waved it off. "There's this one girl who hangs out with us, but she's two-faced and talks shit about people we like and doesn't keep her mouth shut when it comes to finding out secrets. She's wild and boy-obsessed. No one trusts her anymore, so it seems she's finally getting what she deserves."

He chuckled, "Sounds like an evil version of Flavio."

"Oh trust me, Flavio's a saint compared to her."

"Probably true..." He yawned, and for the love of – _why_ did he have to look attractive even while _yawning_?

Subconsciously, he stretched. "Sorry... Just a little tired..." He mumbled as he bent his arms upwards and leaned back, his muscles flexing possibly without his intention.

It made sense that he felt tired; he'd mentioned in the earlier phone call that the weed made him sleepy. Still, you tried not to watch him. _He's like the definition of provocative._

To make things worse, he was wearing some type of Chinese vest — it was a low cut V-neck with the tassels untied, leaving a lot of his skin visible. Asian-style tattoos and hard abs were all that your mind processed for a moment, traveling over the red accents on his clothes and up to his striking collar bone and toned shoulder muscles. His neck looked ravishing enough to invite you to lean in and press a kiss to his throat. _Don't, ____,_ you warned yourself. _Focus on what he's saying..._

His hair looked even messier than usual, but it was in a _hot mess_ type of way more than anything else. His bangs fell in his eyes and, as if he'd read your mind, he slid off his hat and flipped the locks out of his face.

"So majestic," You said aloud without thinking. You felt a grin on your face.

He looked up in a moment of puzzlement. "...Huh? This?" Using one arm to hold himself up as he leaned on your bed, he used the other arm to run his hand through his dark brown layers. He finger-combed the overgrown bangs clear out of his face and travelled his palm all the way down to his ribbon-tied low ponytail. "'My hair's high maintenance and I rarely take care of it', Flavio always tells me."

You fingered his thin, slightly wavy ponytail. "Your hair's softer than mine. You _should_ take care of it."

"So, you like my hair. What _else_ do you like about me?" He tilted his head, making him look more curious than suggestive, even with that racy smile on his lips.

You peered down his body. _Your six-pack and tattoos_ , you were tempted to say. Instead, your gaze rose up to his eccentric features. "...Your eyes. They're almost... inhuman. Like a fox, or... some type of spirit." You leaned closer to his face in an honest attempt to get a better look at his irises. "And I like the way they're framed in black. You have like, the longest and darkest eyelashes ever." _Not to mention your eyes are almost the color of burgundy, a shade of unnatural red._ "And your lips. And your wicked smiles. And..." _Be brave. Tell him how you honestly feel_ , you told yourself. "And, I... I guess I just like your face in general," You paused. "Your body's pretty sweet, too."

_...What am I getting myself into?!_ You thought at the exact second the last statement left your lips.

And... he was back to blushing like a schoolboy. "Er," He laughed nervously, and then with a dramatic air, he pressed a hand to his heart. "... _Swoon_."

By his flushed face and flustered composure, you could tell that he actually _did_ swoon, and that filled you with a bit of confidence _. I guess I can actually make him blush... heheh._

"Don't even get me started on the things I like about you,"

"Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to handle it."

"I would ramble..." He chuckled with the smallest trace of shyness.

He watched you closely and neither of you said anything for a few seconds. Eventually, he scooted closer to you. Blood pumped faster through your veins as you took notice of how close you two were now sitting together.

You broke the silence with, "...I kinda see why you were freaking out so much earlier."

He grinned. "I know, right?" He vaguely gestured with one arm to point out the emptiness of the condo. "No one's home... We're on your bed... It's a hot summer night..."

You felt a touch of electric-like stimulation coil in your stomach. "A teenager's dream come true."

"Mm, yeah. A boy and a girl. They've got it bad for each other..."

"And all of their friends want them to get together..." You added thoughtfully.

He slowly licked his lips and you couldn't help but stare. The air around you two grew heavier. "Oh... and check this out right here." He gestured in small circles with his finger as he pointed to himself and you. "...We're here, aren't we?"

_Could this night get any better?_ Your blood was pumping; your desire for him was tipping over the edge.

He must have read your thoughts. "_____..." His eyes were lidded, cheeks pink, voice craving. "I don't think I can... hold myself back anymore."

He slid his hands around your waist. Caressing your hips, he pulled you into his lap, making you face him. "I always have this need to touch you..." His whispered huskily.

Your folded legs rested on either side of him and he felt so good that you couldn't bring yourself to slip away from him. Instead, you felt inclined to him, and you thoroughly understood it after wanting to kiss him some more at the park yesterday.

He placed his hands on your hips and allowed them to linger there. "...Anything you want to tell me?"

You wondered if this was his way of giving you a chance to escape. A chance to tell him no if that was what you really wanted. A chance to change your mind about anything that was about to go down.

"Yeah... um, thanks for listening to me about my friends."

His eyes roamed over you. "Just don't think about them. It'll blow over," His gaze flickered to your neck. "Like this." He demonstrated by leaning in to your throat – close enough for you to feel his cheekbone on your neck– and blew down your skin with his hot breath. You felt him tighten his hold on your waist all the while.

You breathed out and subconsciously pressed into him. _Finally_... you thought dreamily. You draped your arms around his shoulders; this entire night was bound to happen sooner or later.

He tensed a bit when he felt you rub up against him, and his body heat warmed up another level at the intimate contact.

As you wrapped yourself around him, you looked fleetingly at the mounds of pillows, comforter, and warm bed that teasingly remained behind him. Shyly, you pushed lightly on his chest, hinting that you wanted him to lay back.

"...That's cute; I like that." He mentioned with a tiny smirk as he obliged. He laid back and brought you down with him. "Mmm..."

You weren't able to straddle him long before he took advantage of lying on your bed.

With a light, sensuous groan, he flipped your positions.

For a moment, your eyes were on the ceiling. The next, he began pressing steamy kisses down your throat, and your eyes lidded with pleasure. Each kiss was deeper and more passionate than the last.

You shivered; his touch was hot to the core. He knew how to work those lips and you felt more relaxed and kindled with each kiss.

He gently tugged down the collar of your shirt to allow himself more skin to devour. He trailed a path of incubus-like kisses from your neck down to your collar bone, the tips of his hair tickling your flesh. "So soft..." He murmured, his mouth still halfway on your body. "Just like I always dreamed..." He exhaled with his lips still over your skin. A warm patch of hot breath was left on your flesh in his wake.

As he explored your body, you took the chance to feel his, too. You ran your hands down the length of his arms, taking the time to feel each bulge of muscle and inked skin. As he ran his lips over your body, you raised your arms back up and raked your fingers through his hair.

He made a low growl of approval. Hungrily, his arms snaked beneath your mid-back. They lifted you a few inches off the mattress as he pressed his face to your chest, kissing and fondling your breasts with his mouth even through the cotton of your t-shirt. Your lower body remained pinned to the bed by his hips, which were starting to twitch impatiently over yours. Slowly, ever so slowly, his hips began to grind against yours.

"Mmm..." You hummed in pure bliss. You'd never experienced anything like this.

Quietly, he noted below his breath, _"Virgin."_ The way he figured it out so easily was a turn-on in an experienced-fetish type of way. _Also, there's the chance that he guessed it a long time ago._

He pressed your upper body back down and lightly hissed at the delicious friction occurring between your hips and his.

_He feels so good... I kind of want to...—_ You rocked back against him and felt sparks shoot through your body, sprouting from your waist down.

Your actions must have spurred him on. After another moment, he pushed up your shirt by the bottom hem. It scrunched up around your chest, but he advanced with his line of kisses down your stomach and over your waist, then down to your thighs, groping the curves of your body all the while.

Out of nowhere, you felt a wave of nervous energy crash over you.

He was getting lower. By now, he was fooling around the back pockets of your jeans. _He probably wants them off_ , you realized.

As you'd predicted, he toyed with the button on your pants, his fingers lingering around it but not quite unfastening it.

You couldn't bring yourself to look at his face. Could you really continue this?

He was still fully-clothed. You were still fully-clothed. There was still a chance to turn back. This had escalated in the heat of the moment and he probably understood that too. It could explain why he was hesitating on the removal of your jeans.

_He's... so thoughtful._

Any guy would want to keep going. Instead, he was considering your feelings, despite his own high level of desire.

His hand was still hovering over your pants zipper. After another few seconds, he sighed. The tense, heavy air disintegrated. "I told you when I got here that I didn't come here to get laid..." He mumbled as he collapsed over you, his arms resting on the same pillow your head was on.

Your head filled with a sense of relief. "Zao..."

"Don't talk about it," He grumbled into your neck. His face was buried in the crook between your shoulder and your throat. "Just please don't talk about it."

Your arms were sprawled over on your sides. Seeing as he was now laying on top of your body, you took the opportunity to wrap your arms around his torso. Feeling your affection for him grow more by the second, you gave him a squeeze.

"O-Oh..." You blushed heavily mid-squeeze.

"You, um, shouldn't do that," He propped his elbows up to get a look at your face. His own expression was somber and perhaps a bit shameful. His face was still flushed pink from all the skin-on-skin action. "I'm... really sorry. It probably feels really uncomfortable."

His erection was poking at your stomach, even through his pants. It was honestly the hottest thing you'd ever felt.

"No... it's okay..." You dazedly replied.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't make a move to get off you.

Instead, he leaned down and pressed a passionate kiss to your lips.

You felt a burning sensation twist in your lower stomach. _He’s kissing me again. For real this time..._

His lips were warm, sweet, and his kiss was skilled, inviting. It was a lingering kiss, but nothing more. After his lips parted from yours, he pulled away entirely and got off the bed. "...Sorry again."

You sat up, watching him stand by your bedside. "Don't be," You paused. "You already know that."

He averted his eyes and reached for his hat. Slipping it back on, he almost looked a bit _shy_. "I-I should go."

You got off the mattress and faced him. "You know... you don't have to leave..."

He managed a weak smile at you; it almost looked _pained_. "I... don't think you understand how much I'm _aching_ for you right now."

Your eyes widened once you realized what he meant.

He fixed his ruffled clothes. "I like you. And you're too tempting, _bǎobèi_."

You smiled _. He said it._ But... "What happened to 'kitten'?"

He grinned back, "It's gone... along with our old type of relationship."

* * *

_Bǎobèi = "treasure" in Chinese_

_A term of endearment, it is often used between lovers, as well as other types of close relationships._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sobss i actually rly like how this chapter turned out uwu


	13. He Hides His Insecurity

The next morning, you woke to a quiet home. Your parents were probably still asleep after working late last night.

Rays of sunlight filtered through your window blinds and you yawned groggily before rolling over in bed to stare at the ceiling.

You couldn't stop thinking about Zao last night and it had affected your amount of sleep. He'd been the only person on your mind even after he'd left your house. Your memories of them were hazy, but you could have sworn he'd entered your dreams as well.

However, they felt more blissful than anything else.

He'd left shortly after he'd said your nickname of 'kitten' was long gone. _"Along with our old type of relationship."_

You'd pondered what he said for an hour before you discovered the symbolism in his words.

A kitten is seen as something small, cute, and fun to tease. He'd called you that since day one and it seemed like something he'd call any other girl; it wasn't especially for you.

_"I like you. And you're too tempting,_ bǎobèi _."_

The new petname he'd used was foreign to you and you were all too curious about what it meant. After searching through a few sites on the Internet, you discovered _bǎobèi_ was a Chinese term of endearment used mainly between lovers or other close types of relationships:

_"_ Bǎobèi _has multiple translations. The most commonly used one is 'precious'. It can also indicate jewels, treasures, or something that is not easy to obtain and you treasure or love. It can be a nickname for a loved one, such as a girlfriend. Other meanings are 'baby' and 'cute'."_

It felt like it was his way of admitting he'd begun to see you differently. You were no longer just a girl he enjoyed toying with; you meant more to him, and it showed in more ways than one.

_I wonder what's going to happen to us._

Sure, some things had changed last night, but nothing was _spoken_ to settle it. _He didn't ask me out, but he both said and showed that he liked me._ All the physical contact last night was a whole new step in your relationship with him, but it didn't mean you two were officially dating yet.

You fidgeted at the idea of calling Zao your boyfriend. The concept sounded appealing, but it didn't feel quite right yet. Something else needed to happen, but you weren't sure what.

Part of this may have had to do with the fact that you hadn't told him you liked him back. You'd intimately expressed it in a different manner than speech, but you understood it was an important factor if you wanted this to feel comfortable and real. Confessing to him would make the true difference.

_Well... let's see how this goes,_ you mused. _It should get real interesting from here on out._

With that final thought, you rolled over and reached for your phone. The time read 11:17 A.M. Once you unlocked it, you received a new text from Allen.

  
**Allen:** can i come over

Without even a blink, you casually responded with 'Sure'.

Around ten seconds later your phone buzzed again.  
  
  


**Allen:** good cuz im in your kitchen

With a groan, you hopped out of bed and padded out of your bedroom. "What brings you here so early?" You asked once you emerged from the hallway.

He was currently going through cabinets. "I was bored."

Walking into the brightness of the kitchen made you realize you were still in your pajamas. Your hair was a mess from just waking up, but you didn't mind.

Allen was fully dressed — complete with cologne and hair gel — but not a thing bothered you. You figured this showed how close your friendship with him had grown.

He didn't acknowledge anything about your appearance other than, "I like your PJs."

You noticed he'd brought over some of his vegan stuff. He lifted a spoon of an unidentifiable diet supplement and aimed it towards you. "Try it babe,"

You leaned on the counter and crossed your arms, pouting. "What _is_ it?"

"Don't be a pussy."

"I'm not _scared_ or anything, I just wanna know wh—"

"-Just open up."

You opened and allowed him to feed it to you. "...What _is_ this? It has no flavor."

"Hmph, who cares? It's good for you."

A moment later, your mother stepped out from the hallway carrying her purse. "Morning everyone, did you sleep g— h _oly crap_ , what's that weird stuff?"

You pointed at her and looked at Allen, " _Thank_ you; I was wondering the same thing."

"Shut up asshole," He then looked at your mom and grumbled, "You too (mom's name)."

She laughed and you took the opportunity to ask her, "Mom, where's Dad?"

"Asleep. I'm going out to get some groceries, do you kids want anything?"

"Something with flavor," You teased, peering at Allen.

_"Soy milk."_ Allen hissed as she exited the doorway.

A few minutes after she left, your phone started ringing. You put down the bag of vegan popcorn you'd been eating (Allen had brought them over and called them "puffs") and reached over for the buzzing device.

Seconds later, your heart nearly leapt into your throat when you saw the name flashing across the screen. 'Zao Wang'. What was he going to say now?

"Who is it?" Allen nonchalantly asked.

For a split second, you considered telling him what happened last night. However, he probably wouldn't react much besides make fun of you, so there was no need for that. Ignoring his question, you answered with, "Hey Zao."

He seemed to lose interest as soon as he heard his friend's name. He went back to what he was doing, almost obliviously, and scavenged the kitchen a bit more.

If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was a skilled cook — in a Gordon Ramsay type of way. Allen was knowledgeable about food and knew how to handle a kitchen, so those at least made him experienced in culinary, even if his dishes weren't exactly tasty _. At least they're healthy_ , you figured.

"_____?" Zao's voice was soft, maybe even a little apprehensive.

_Whoa, is he okay?_ "Yeah?"

"Uh, I... was kinda wonderin' something..."

You stepped into the kitchen corner farthest away from Allen. "What is it?"

"Well, I..." The last syllable was audibly stressed. You could easily imagine him tensely messing with his hair or doing some other nervous tic. "After last night, I did some thinking and... I figured we should, um... I mean, like, I wanted to ask you—"

"-Tell me right now. Are you high again?"

You heard Allen snort; you hadn't realized he was low-key eavesdropping. "Not at all, _bǎobèi_."

"So... what's up?" You weren't used to him sounding this on edge.

"Mm," You detected him clear his throat. "Go on a date with me."

_...Holy shit._

_Yes_. You couldn't keep the grin from spreading across your face. "Hehe... that sounds more like a demand than a question..."

"Alright," An audible smile crept into his voice. "Let me try again. _____, can I take you out to dinner sometime?"

The legitimacy of the situation immediately sank in. "Oh... I mean," You stared down at the floor, your cheeks starting to warm up. "Y-Yeah, definitely. When? And where?"

You heard a clang and whipped your head around to see Allen had dropped a medium-sized pan. "Did he just...?"

"You free tomorrow night?"

"I think so," _I always am._

"Then how about... we go to Pier 39 and hang out there for a while?"

Pier 39, one of the most iconic attractions of San Francisco. And yet, you hadn't been there since you moved here. "Sounds fun."

"Cool. I'll pick you up at six."

"It's a date," The words were out of your mouth before you could stop them.

By now, Allen was _gawking_. "You're talking to Zao? And... you just said 'date'?!"

You tried to ignore him by turning and waving him away with your arm. You focused on the call as you said, "I mean... y'know..."

"Haha, nope, you got it right," He chuckled. "See ya then. Oh... and tell Allen not to freak out so much? It's kinda embarrassing." With that, the line went dead.

A bit shakily, you pocketed your phone. You turned to face Allen.

One look at your expression and _he knew_. Breaking into a goofy grin, he shouted, "HELL YEAH, MY BOY'S GROWIN' UP!~" He completed the cheer with a fist-pump.

"Oh my god, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he _didn't_ want you to do..." You mumbled as he took his time calming down.

" _Boom_ bitch, I called this shit since day one." He gloated whilst petting your head.

"That I can't deny..." You grumbled as you recalled that day in the alley where you'd first met Zao. Afterward, Allen had word-for-word said, _"Oh_ please _, I saw the way you were checking him out. You're totally into him, aren't you?"_

"It's just..." Allen's voice had softened. "...I've never seen him this crazy for a girl before. He's different now, _____. I think... you've really helped him. Even if ya never realized it, y'know?"

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

A few streets away in the same district, Zao weakly put down his phone. _Whoa_. He'd just gotten off the call with you and he couldn't believe how much things were progressing now.

The room was pitch-black; the lights were off and the sole window was covered by a black drape. He was sitting cross-legged over his bed with the thick, white, fluffy covers surrounding him like a mini fort. The white sheets beneath him smelled of fresh linen, courtesy of laundry-duty Kuro.

He was subconsciously hugging one of the many clean pillows scattered around him, and he moved it away once he realized that was such a _girl_ thing to do. However, he couldn't help that his nerves were entirely _fried_. He felt so fraught that he could barely think straight.

It was all because of you. _He was not used to these types of feelings_. You made him neurotic. He'd never asked anyone out on a date before and it was more numbing and nerve-racking than he thought it would be. Hugging something felt calming. So screw this, he didn't care if it was a 'girl thing' to do. He reached for the window sill level to his bed and grabbed the stuffed red panda you'd once given him and hugged it tight.

"First date..." He murmured aloud. The memory that you'd accepted without hesitance made his insides flutter. _Damn, I've got it so bad for her_. Even _he_ knew that was the understatement of the year.

A quick knock on his door shook him out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Prince!~" Playfully, Jin bounded inside with the innocence of a child. Ironic because he was neither a child nor innocent. "Yonsu told me you were going to ask out _____! Did you do it yet?"

He gritted his teeth in annoyance. "First of all, _don't call me a prince_. Second... Yonsu said that?" _He was supposed to keep his mouth shut about it._

"Yes!~ So did you do it?"

"Fuck off. And tell Yonsu that if he tells you guys stuff about me again, I'll break all of the K-pop CDs I know he secretly listens to."

Jin gasped. "Does he really?"

"He's Korean. It's his guilty pleasure."

Genuinely curious, Jin tilted his head. "So... because I'm from Hong Kong, does that mean I'm supposed to have a 'guilty pleasure'? Plus, what's a 'guilty pleasure'?"

Zao shook his head in defeat. Jin wasn't completely fluent in English yet so he had these types of questions from time to time. "Go and play in the street or something. I've got some stuff to figure out."

"Okay..." The fifteen-year-old casted him a worried look, then kissed him on the cheek and stepped out of his room.

"Ugh," Zao landed face-down on his mattress. His roommates were important to him but that didn't mean he always had the energy to deal with them.

His date with you came to mind again. He'd never been in a real relationship before, much less a real date. And not only did he have ties to a drug cartel, but he was involved in the locality's red-light district. Even if he managed to get clean and break away from the illegal operations, he worried that he'd never be good enough for you.

No, he _knew_ he wasn't good enough for you.

Why did you even bother with him? Why did he even _try?_

His life was a mess, and so was he.

These were the thoughts that kept him up at night ever since he met you.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

" _Ciao_ , darlin'! This would look great on you, don'tcha think?"

"Flavio," You sighed, but you knew he had good intentions. "You really didn't have to bring clothes to my house..."

He lowered his orange Aviators at you. "Are you shitting me? Of course I did! It's a date, you really think the Flavs isn't gonna help you pick an outfit? No bitchin'!"

"W-We're just hanging out—"

_"-BULL!_ SHIT!"

"He's right munchkin; it is clearly a date so you must be looking posh! Now if you ask me, date outfits are not my cup of tea—and speaking of, I brewed you some Chamomile to calm your nerves! You are feeling quite jittery, yes?" Oliver appeared in your room carrying a fancy glass platter with a matching clear teacup filled to the brim with a steaming liquid-gold drink.

"Yo, I don't see why you guys are makin' such a big deal about what she wears. Like, bitch is you blind? She looks fine in what she's in right now." Allen commented with just a bit of sass from his comfy position on your bed.

You tuned out their banter as you looked at yourself in your bedroom mirror. You were in the clothes you'd been wearing all day, but you didn't figure you looked bad.

About an hour later, you were deemed 'ready'. You'd worn your own choice of clothes, but you'd let Flavio fix your hair and makeup because he'd probably cry if you didn't, and that was in his own words.

Your parents had said you looked beautiful right before heading out on their own little date, since they hadn't been getting out much after starting their new jobs.

"...Hot," Allen complimented on your final appearance.

"You look lovely, my dearest." Oliver hiccupped and rubbed at the corner of his eye.

"She looks stunning, I know~ and Ollie, don't cry!" Flavio shook the Brit's shoulders right as the doorbell rang.

"I knew this day would come..." Oliver whispered in a motherly tone.

"You guys, shut up..." You commanded with a hint of embarrassment as the door swung open. The four of you had been in the living room when you heard Zao walk in.

Casually, he sauntered over, singing, _"So what we get drunk, so what we smoke weed~"_

The piano melody instinctively played in your head. _I know this one._ You smiled, skipped over to him, and sang in tune, _"We're just havin' fun, we don't care who sees~"_

He grinned back and playfully jumped over to you, grabbing your hand and spinning you as you both finished the song's chorus, _"So what we go out, that's how it's supposed to_ _be_ _, livin' young and wild and free_ _!"_

By the end, you two were both laughing and in each other's arms. In response, Flavio stood up, pointed at both of you, and stated in a robotic voice, "My spirit animals."

"Nah son," Allen corrected, standing next to him with his arms crossed as he watched you and Zao. "Relationship goals."

"You two make the perfect pair!~" Oliver chimed, gazing at you two with stars in his eyes.

At the influx of comments, Zao pulled away and looked you in the eye. "...You were right. All of our friends _did_ want us to get together..."

"No shit!" Flavio clapped gleefully. "So proud right now."

"So... I'm guessing you were here to help _____ with her outfit?" Zao mused.

"Like duh," He flipped his hair and winked.

"Seems legit," Zao faced you again. "Luciano showed up at my house an hour ago and, like, shoved me into these clothes."

You stifled a laugh. Of course the ultra-fabulous Italian bros decided to help both of you out on your wardrobe choices.

But then again, you couldn't really complain. Zao's outfit was _on point._

He was wearing a Levi's black denim button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. The buttons were a pearly white, and the shirt was opened to slimly reveal a thin white V-neck tee. He wore dark wash jeans, a leather belt, and his usual black motorcycle boots. Except... "Is that a _snapback?"_ You'd had to do a double take on his all-black hat and it wasn't his military cap.

He self-consciously adjusted the brim. "Luciano, man. It was Luciano." He even smelled deliciously of cologne.

"If I hear _any more talk_ about clothes I'm gonna explode," Allen started shooing you two out the door. "You kiddos have fun. Drive safe. Don't do drugs. Have safe sex."

You cringed. "A- _llen_!"

"Haha, let's run before it gets worse." Once out the door, he took your hand and started sprinting down the hallway.

You laughed and matched his pace, and as you two got farther from the condo, you heard Flavio call out, "WE HOPE YOU REMEMBERED A CONDOM, HUN!~"

You and Zao made it to the lobby. "...I'm going to kill them," He laughed nervously.

You faced him and watched him intently. Something about him was off again. Or perhaps it was just those killer clothes that you weren't accustomed to seeing him in. After a few seconds of silence, you told him, "You look good, Zao."

At your statement, he averted his eyes and coughed. Then he stuffed his hands into his pockets. And turned his body slightly away from you. All signs that he was flustered. Eventually he replied, "Hey, come on... don't say things like that..."

You smiled at him. "You can't take a compliment?"

He shrugged, "All I know is you look better." He glanced towards the lobby's exit. "Let's head out, yeah?"

As you followed him towards a large silver car, you noticed him place a Marlboro between his lips _. I haven't seen him smoke in a long time..._

"Hm? Oh... I'd offer you a cigarette, but you're already smoking hot." He flashed you a grin.

"Pffft," You rolled your eyes, fighting a smile. "How often do you smoke?"

"I, uh... only smoke when I'm nervous..."

_So that's what it is. He's nervous about our date?_ "You don't have to be nervous around me." You meant it, too.

"Well anyway," He removed the unlit cigarette from his lips, deciding not to use it. "I take that back. I wouldn't offer you a cigarette for... hm, three reasons."

"They're bad for us?"

"That's one of them, plus we're underage. The other reason is that it would ruin your adorable good-girl image."

You chuckled. "I still can't believe you get off to that."

"And I," He began slowly, eyes widened in shock. " _Can't believe_ you just said that."

"Do you... honestly think I'm a saint?"

He sighed, but a smirk crept to his lips. "Partially. But no worries, I get that you've got a dirty mind too, and I like that about you." He took a step closer to you. "Now... I've planned a few things for us tonight. You ready for a night with me, _____?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to the 4 people who have bookmarked this fic..... im so sorry for the constant updates im just tryin to finish revising this as quick as possible so i can post the never-before-read ending lol


	14. He's Your King

"You ready for a night with me, _____?"

You felt a grin tug at your lips. "Let's do it."

The evening summer air was warm and slightly humid. Soon, Zao stopped walking near a towering silver Hummer H2. "This one's mine.~"

You gaped, "You've got a _Hummer?!"_

He smiled. "Impressed?"

"Well, yeah, but... when did you _get_ this?"

"I won it in a poker game."

"...Seriously?"

He shrugged modestly. "I'm pretty good at cards, and people will bet stupid shit when they're drunk; it's great."

You laughed at his insane luck. "Wow. And I didn't know you gambled."

He opened the passenger door for you and helped you climb in (the thing was so freakin' tall). "It's a great way to get some extra cash. Oh... and a car too I guess." He said once he got into the driver's seat.

"You scored some points with me for this one..." You mentioned thoughtfully as you examined the high tech dashboard. It was sleek, modern, all-silver, and the touchscreen did many things besides navigate.

As he revved the engine, you asked, "Oh, and what happened to your motorcycle?"

"Still have it. Yonsu and Kuro use it a lot though."

"Mm. So where are we going?"

He side-glanced at you. "Have you been to Pier 39 since you moved to Frisco?"

"No..."

"Then let's go.~" He turned up the music.

The sultry beats of a blues-rock song smoothly became audible. Something about it sent a spark of recognition to your mind.

**_"Now it's three in the morning and I'm trying to change your mind_ **

**_Left you multiple missed calls and to my message you reply,_ **

**_'Why'd you only call me when you're high?_ **

**_Hi, why'd you only call me when you're high'?"_ **

No way. _Holy shit, this can't be..._ "This song is by Arctic Monkeys, right?"

"Yeah. Oliver showed me this band because he said the main singer reminded him of me," He replied as he started on the drive. "He said they're popular in the UK."

"Huh..." _The main singer is similar to Zao? He has no idea how much._ The truth was that you'd heard the song before and noticed the instances, especially in the video. "...Have you seen the music video for this song?"

"No, is it good?"

_Let's see if he relates._ You chuckled, "Yeah. So it starts with this guy, Alex, in a bar at like three a.m. He's obviously on some kind of drug and he's had too much to drink. He suddenly misses this girl and starts texting her. As the night goes on, he gets progressively more obsessed with her and sends her a bunch of messages. He starts walking to her house even when she doesn't respond, and he sees a bunch of weird things and couples who make him miss her even more,"

You paused to peer at him, to see if he was listening or interested.

He was. "And? Like... does he see her? Does she reply?"

You grinned and looked out the window. "He shows up at a house, texts her 'I'm outside', but he doesn't know he's at the wrong house. Across the street, we see the girl in her living room. She checks her phone and sees 17 new messages. She sighs and tosses her phone aside."

He stopped at a red light and turned to face you. He looked genuinely absorbed in the little story. "And then what happens?"

"That's it. The video ends."

"...That's bullcrap."

"I know. She had no idea how lucky she was. Poor Alex."

"Yeah..." He moved to turn the volume up higher, but paused. In slow revelation, he said, "-Wait. Alex is me."

You nodded with a smile. "You're totally Alex."

"And you're my love interest."

You shifted in your seat a bit. You'd actually expected a topic like this to come up. "I-I wouldn't ignore your messages though."

"Because you like me?"

"Er—" You choked on your words.

"Hah..." He smiled to himself and quietly mumbled, "You'll have to say it eventually."

"Hm?"

"Nothin', nothin'.~"

** -D-R-A-GO-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

"So there're a lot of places around here. North Beach – I think where that old sitcom Full House was filmed – and Angel Island, Alcatraz, Little Italy..."

"'Little Italy'?"

You two were parked near Pier 39, talking about the Bay Area. He grinned, "Yeah. It's cute. It's kinda like Chinatown, but y'know, with Italy? So many Italian restaurants there. Flavio and Luciano hate the place though. Say it's just a 'wannabe', haha."

"Oh. And then there's Fisherman's Warf, right? And an aquarium?"

"We can do those things on another date," He smirked as he opened his door and climbed out. "For now, let's just say I hope you've met Forrest."

Not too long afterwards, you two appeared in the doorway to Bubba Gump's. It was a huge, fisherman-themed restaurant with Forrest Gump signs and references everywhere, along with multiple flat screens playing the movie on repeat. There was even a side bar dedicated to Forrest Gump trivia games. The other bar was long and fully decked out in memorabilia and ocean-themed decorations. A Bubba Gump's souvenir shop was conveniently located inside the restaurant as well.

Overall, the restaurant was lively inside and busy as usual.

"...I'm _so_ re-watching this movie when I get home," You said as you waited in the line. "That movie's a _classic_."

"Like it? Good. But, there's another reason why we came here..."

At that moment, it was your turn to be seated. You both walked up to the front podium, and there stood a greeter who looked a little _too_ comfortable; he was leaning on the front desk and watching you two with a teasing smile.

He was wearing all-black and his shirt read 'Run, Forrest, Run.' He gazed at you two and playfully said, "'Sup sluts?~"

"Okay, don't be weird about this..." Zao warned.

You stared at the greeter. A second later, it clicked. "Oh, duh. Hi Yonsu! I didn't know you worked here."

A hat covered the Korean's coal-black hair. His irises shined a hue of green, which only made you wonder if he wore colored contacts, since green-eyed Asians were undoubtedly rare. You almost didn't recognize him without the usual pipe between his lips. "Yeaaaah, I do.~ You guys needed at least, like, three different people to embarrass you on your little date, y'know?"

He teased you all the way to your table, much to your mortification: "Can I just be the first to sing, _Zao and _____, sitting in a tree—"_

To which Zao had interrupted with, _"F-U-C-K-I-N-G."_

Once you sat down and were given a menu, you admitted, "I really thought I wouldn't see you guys again for a while."

He smirked down at you and Zao. "You thought wrong. Guess who else is here?"

Zao sighed, "Don't tell me they have shifts right now too..."

Before you could say anything, a newcomer skipped over to your table. "Hi _____, hi Zao!~" Jin beamed at you.

You jumped in surprise, " _You_ work here too?!"

"I bus tables! Haha, I'm so happy I get to see you guys here." Briefly, he whipped out a towel and cleaned off the table a bit.

_He's only fifteen and has a job?_ You thought. _Well I guess he has to, seeing as him, Kuro, Yonsu, and Zao are on their own together._ Your heart ached at the recollection that they all lived together, without the proper supervision or guidance of an adult. _A bunch of teenagers having to manage bills, taxes, and living without a parent or guardian?_ How was this even legal? Emancipated minors or not, they needed to have some kind of mentor, right?

Except, they did not. They'd chosen this life of fierce independence in a land far away from their homes in Asia all by themselves.

"...Of course you brought her here. What, are you trying to brag?" You snapped your gaze up to Kuro, who was now standing in front of your table with his arms crossed. He was glaring down at Zao, who looked at him and sniggered.

He was wearing a black apron and looked unamused. Finally, his eyes fell on you. "So he finally asked you out on a date? Tch, I never thought he'd actually man up for this."

Zao laughed again. "Kuro, why can't you just love me?"

_So they all work here?_ You analyzed Kuro. He was discreetly holding an order pad in his right hand. _Waiter_. Yonsu had been the one who'd led you to your table. _Greeter_. Jin was carrying some other cleaning supplies. _Busboy_.

"You can count that we'll be back..." Yonsu grinned villainously at you as he moonwalked back to his post.

"Have a nice date! Don't forget to snuggle!~" Jin chimed as he went off to another table. You had a feeling this wasn't the last you'd see of them, just like Yonsu had warned.

Kuro poised his pen to the notepad. "What do you two idiots want to drink?"

After he left, you and Zao were finally alone.

"Thanks for bringing me h—"

"-No small talk. That's weird."

You chuckled. "What, do you have a list of date to-do's and not-to-do's written on your hand or something?"

He smiled weakly. "Not a bad idea; maybe I'll remember that for next time."

You laughed, but he still looked nervous. "So... look. It might be obvious by now that I've never actually been on a 'date' or whatever, right?"

_Judging by his roommates' reactions, yeah. "_ A little."

"So you can guess why Kuro and Yonsu were making fun of me..."

You supposed maybe he brought you here because he'd thought their presence would make him feel more at ease, but the effect had been the opposite. "Yeah." You hadn't known what else to say.

Everything between you two felt off and awkward now, and you didn't like it. Why did this being a 'date' have to make everything so different? It was just hanging out with him, which was always fun, but this...

It was a _date_. In reality, that changed everything. You were sitting on the fence between friends and potential lovers and that information was up in the air.

"...Let's just kiss to break the tension."

At his unexpected suggestion, you burst out laughing _. What an ice breaker_. Weirdly enough, you felt more comfortable when he said things like that.

"We're in public though!" You said as you leaned over the table and playfully pinched his cheek. It was supposed to be mock punishment, but you weren't fooling anyone.

"So you _can_ flirt a little," He said in an observational tone, his cheek still pinched between your fingers. "This is the first time I've seen it." He grinned, "You must really like me."

You laughed and released his face.

Seconds after that moment, an _obstacle_ decided to show up.

A tall, blonde, model-thin girl wearing a crop top and extremely short shorts walked by, caught sight of Zao, and came to a full stop. "Oh my gawd," She began, jaw agape, backing up a few steps to stand in front of him. " _Zao Wang_ , you fucking cutie! I haven't seen ya in for- _ever_ , how have you been?!" She was holding a beer and bent down to get a better look at him. "I've been thinking about you so much, hehe!"

She was gorgeous enough to make any girl feel insecure, even with her trashy-look. She was all boobs and seemed eager to flaunt them. You didn't know where to look, but you knew one thing for sure – you were too afraid to see Zao's expression.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, you looked up at him. You felt instant relief when you noticed him sigh. "...Thanks, but I'm kind of busy." With that, he gazed directly at you and smiled, thus making you feel like the only girl in the world.

"What? But you're just _sitting_ here?" She complained.

Luckily, the interaction was cut short by Kuro's reappearance. He was carrying a platter of drinks with one hand and made a shooing motion at her with the other. "Go away Ashley; no one likes you."

She glared at him and hissed back, "Shut up Kuro, you're still so rude." She strutted away in a huff.

As Kuro set down the drink orders, he warned, "Careful of those ones, Zao-san. There's a shit-ton around here and you know they're gonna go after you like a pack of wolves." He left as swiftly as he'd arrived.

Twirling his straw around, Zao laughed uneasily, "Haaa... you're my queen, _____."

Too anxious to reply to that, you asked instead, "Alright, I think it's about time you explain this to me. Why do so many girls want you? Ones you don't like?"

He tilted his head at you and sang, "Were you jeaaaalous?~"

"I..." _Quit choking up and tell him how you feel,_ you told yourself. "And if I was?"

He accidentally snapped the straw. "Huh?" A small blush crept to his cheeks and he looked down, shading his face with the brim of his snapback. "I... I didn't think you'd admit that..."

"W-Well I did, so now it's your turn to answer my question."

"Oh," He looked back up, his skin still lightly tinted pink. "So... um. When I first came here, I briefly worked at a brothel. I would've taken up literally any job, you know? Anyways, I guess it got around that I was totally great in bed and had the best opiates, so that's what they're still after."

You watched him intently and didn't speak, waiting for him to go on.

"And that's it," He snickered. "Also, there's the fact that I'm bangin' hot."

He was joking by now, but you accidentally slipped out, "I know."

"You—?" He leaned forward over the table, causing his V-neck collar to hang down a bit and give you a nice peek down his defined chest.

_Holy shit, even_ I _perv on him sometimes._ "...Has anyone ever told you that you bleed raw sexuality?"

"Hmm... no, actually, that's a new one."

"There's something about the way you carry yourself."

"I wasn't aware that I was a literal sex god."

"That's... part of why so many girls are after you, right?"

"I mean..." He looked down, suddenly flustered. "I-I guess."

"And like you said," You managed a suggestive smile, "You're _bangin' hot_." You mentally patted yourself for having spur-of-the-moment-confidence to say that.

"...What just happened here?" His voice came out high-pitched. He frantically gestured between the two of you, "I honestly don't think I'm supposed to be the one a fuckin' blushing mess over here, what the hell? ... _Dammit ______,"_ He hid his rare case of mortification by resting his head on the table and covering his face with his arms.

You were blown away by his sheer _embarrassment_. There was nothing rarer than that when it came to him. "Okayokayokay, first off, how the hell do you radiate such confidence, flirt like a champion, use pick-up lines and then just go and _lose your shit_ when someone compliments you?! Tell me, this is for science." It was literally too precious not to question.

"...Not just anyone," You heard his muffled voice say. "It's when _you_ compliment me."

You exhaled. "Still..."

As your eyes roamed around, you caught sight of something peculiar. " _What_ are they do—" You froze when you recognized the small cluster of bodies hiding behind the indoor wooden ramp.

" _SHIT_ ," You heard one of them panic and duck down.

Through one of the kitchen doors, you noticed what appeared to be a manager call out to them, "Hey you three! Quit playing around and get back to work!"

You burst out laughing when you saw Kuro, Yonsu, and Jin scramble out of their hiding spot like frightened rabbits and scurry in their own directions. There was, needless to say, a 400 percent chance they'd been spying on your date.

They nearly tripped over each other as they parted ways and you couldn't believe Zao had missed it. "Hey, raise your head back up. Your roommates are such children; it's adorable."

"More childish than you would believe." He laughed as he sat up straight again. "By the way..." He eyed you curiously. "I don't think you've told me much about your life. Can you start from the beginning?"

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

After dinner, you two walked around Pier 39 for a while. It looked great at night, you had to admit.

For the most part, there were aisles with rows of shops on each side and a center that served as the main walkway. White fairy lights were strewn in lines from rooftops to parallel rooftops, giving off an ethereal feeling of walking beneath shining stars. The carousel glowed golden in the evening darkness and each shop was unique and colorful.

Only about ten minutes into the walk and you'd already passed a puppet shop, a candy shop, a crazy sock shop, a funny T-shirt shop, and a souvenir magnet shop, just to name a few.

However, as soon as you'd seen the carousel, you'd mentioned to Zao, _"That looks so fun, I remember riding on those as a kid."_

To which he'd replied, _"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get on, haha!"_

And you two had laughed and got on, shamelessly taking the respective unicorn and dragon riders before any children could get to them first.

Afterwards, he'd held your hand as you two checked out shops and messed around. By now, everything felt completely comfortable. It was a date and yet you two had as much fun as you did when you were together with your friends.

Currently, you were in the Alcatraz souvenir shop, even if you hadn't visited the famous prison during this trip. It was stocked with black-and-white striped jail style clothing and any type of souvenir you could imagine. "This is such an iconic prison; I can see why there's so much stuff." You commented as you picked up a steel mug that read **_Alcatraz_** _: Psycho Ward Outpatient_. "Look Zao, I found your mug."

He turned and set down a shot glass that said 'I escaped from Alcatraz.' "Huh? Oh. Very funny." His eyes flickered to the shelf next to you. "But look what we've got here," He slid over and reached for a pair of handcuffs, engraved with 'Property of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.'

"Handcuffs," He twirled them around his pointer finger and smirked at you, "What do you say? Do you think we'll need 'em later, _bǎobèi?"_

"...Depends. Do I have a reason to chain you up?"

He put them down and chuckled. "Sure. I've been a bad boy. Feel free to blindfold me and punish me as you please."

The bondage-fetished image leaked into your thoughts and stayed there for a moment. Would he still act confident like this even while handcuffed to your bed rail? Probably not. "...I'm starting to think you talk bigger game than you actually can do."

This seemed to pique his interest. "Really now? What makes you say that?"

"Hmm... How do I word this..." You leaned against a wall and thought for a few seconds. "Okay... so. You act all confident and flirty until your object of affection shows some interest, right? Then you get all blushy and adorable. Right?"

"Er..." He stepped back a little.

You didn't even need to look at his face. This made you feel more smug than you'd felt in a long time. "So it makes me wonder if you'd really do all the seductive things you say you'd do when you're flirting."

"I..." He self-consciously adjusted his hat and then tried again. This time, he said with a bit more certainty, "You're welcome to find out _any time.~"_

_Okay, so maybe I underestimated him..._

"But, _____... you know I'm yours, right?"

His expression turned sincere. "...I really don't want to do any of those things unless it's with you." He blew you a kiss, "And don't you forget it."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

After exiting the Alcatraz gift store, you passed by a psychic shop that was well-lit with red candles and lanterns. "Whoa. Let's check this place out."

Zao nodded, "Sure. And, hey..." He took a closer look at the neon sign. 'Get your future read by Sir Roland.' "Yup. I know this guy."

"You _know_ him?"

"I met him at a party. He is the _coolest creep ever_. He's... way out there. Lives on the edge of the map, where there be dragons."

With that, you stepped inside his shop. "Then let's have him read our futures."

Inside was the trippiest mix of spiritual and classic rock decorations. The lights were dimmed low, but tall candles, lava lamps, light-up signs, and paper lanterns kept it easy to see. You could tell the psychic really liked old school rock music by the vintage records being sold behind the counter.

Soon, a worker walked in from the back room. "H-Hello... welcome to Sir Roland's Psychic Shop."

You walked up to the counter and smiled. "Hi, I was wondering if— wait," Upon closer inspection, you recognized his innocent face. "Oh, _Gilen!_ How have you been?!"

His eyes widened briefly, "You... You remember me?"

You grinned at him as Zao joined your side. "Of course!"

"Hey Gil. You workin' with Roland?"

"Um, yeah." He smiled weakly. "We're new at this and I'm still getting used to working the front counter. I didn't want to do it at first, but Roland said it would help me interact with new people better."

"Awww. Roland sounds nice," You mused.

Gilen nodded happily. "He's _super_ nice! He's my best friend. And he's a great psychic. You wanted a reading, right? Come meet him." He gestured for you two to follow him to the back.

Once inside, there was a dark room lit with more candles; it was almost completely pitch-black except for the few embers of fire. In the middle of the room was a square black table with a classic crystal ball serving as the sole decoration. Sitting there ominously was an awaiting figure with an eerie smile. "Why, if it isn't my favorite little dragon.~" He cooed once he spotted Zao.

He waved. "Sup Roland. If it isn't my favorite, uh... Austrian, psychic... dude... man."

Roland laughed cheerily and gestured for you both to sit. "Come in; take a seat here with me on the Other Side."

Strangely enough, you really did feel a weird sensation as soon as you sat across from him. You peered at Zao – who was seated next to you – but he seemed unfazed. You decided to brush it off as your imagination.

"So~" He adjusted his circular spectacles as he glanced between you two, "What is the relationship here? Friends? Lovers? Hmmm?"

Zao grinned playfully and pointed to you, "That's my wife, _____."

"Oh?" Roland's slow smile was sinister. "Congratulations."

"We're not—" You began.

"-Sugar, no need to explain anything," He brushed you off with a wave of his hand. "You two are on a first date. I can sense it. For Hell's sake, keep your mouths shut for a moment; I can practically feel the waves of sexual tension emanating from the two of you from over here."

You were quiet for a moment, until you decided to test out if he was legit. "I think... anyone could guess we were on a date."

"Hm?" He eyed you challengingly. "Do you doubt my abilities?"

"Well..."

He sighed with too much exaggeration. "(First name Last name). You're a quiet, somewhat shy, innocent little introvert running around with this advanced, experienced, social boy who spells out trouble. I can see his feelings are genuine, and... oh _dear_ , he's clearly in love. You've already realized this, _____, and yet, with his countless advances, even confession, you still haven't told him your feelings, and chances are he's tried several times tonight to get you to tell him, all of which you dodged like a bullet. What you're waiting for? I don't know. Is it the right place? Time? Perhaps you're simply not ready to admit your love for him just yet. His personality has charmed you, has it not? I can actually..."

He paused, staring hard at Zao, who made a ' _please_ go on' gesture at him.

"I can actually see a close bond. You two are connected, very much so. You were meant to move here, ____. Where did you come from? Oh yes... (Hometown). Mhmm, I can sense that your destiny was not there. I'm not saying your destiny is here either, however..." He pulled out a deck of tarot cards, shuffled them, and skillfully laid out three, face down. He flipped the first one which, stunningly, was the Lovers.

He grinned arrogantly. "As I expected."

" _Shut_. Up." You said, more in awe than anything else.

"It looks like this has turned into a compatibility reading," He began. " _Mein gott_ , how fun.~" He flipped another card, which was the Emperor.

"Ah... I see." He didn't look so pleased about your relationship with Zao anymore. "Alright. When this card is flipped upright, it is generally a good sign. When reversed, however..." He ran a hand through his black hair and exhaled. "...It shows you're powerless, ____. I would say... his presence in your life is very intense, and you've surrendered yourself to him. He has the capability to control you, but time will only tell if he will. He's very important; he's a high-ranking authority who leads many. I can safely assume you aren't fully knowledgeable about his illegal line of work. You might get mixed up in something, my darling, and you may be too weak to get out of it on your own."

You had no idea what to say to that.

"Babe..." Zao spoke softly, turning to look at you.

Roland's small smile appeared ghostly. "But fear not, this issue is either severe or minor depending on this next card." He flipped the last one.

It was the Sun.

He let out a breath of relief. "...Ohohoho, I am so happy for you two!~ I would have cried in sympathy if you'd gotten Death or the Devil. But no, as your future says, you were blessed with the Sun."

"What does it mean?" You demanded.

"Generally speaking, the Sun card represents fun, warmth, success, positivity, and vitality. In your case, it suggests that through the hardships, through the rain, once the clouds have cleared, the sun will shine on you two once again. Whatever obstacles come in your way – and believe me, there will be several – you two will overcome with beauty, power and grace."

"...That's great to hear." Zao leaned his head on your shoulder. "Thanks, Sir Roland."

"My pleasure.~" He purred. "I wish you the best, little dragon. May you keep this pure dove of yours till the end of time."

"You... You think I'm a dove compared to his dragon?"

Roland nodded, his dark brown eyes now locked on you. "You are heaven to him. He's a strong, passionate creature who's crazy about you, and... has an addiction to those white-feathered wings of yours."

_He's talking about my innocence._ "Um... er, h-how much should I pay you?" It was best to change the subject for now.

He laughed again. "No need. I got you to believe, and that is pay enough for me. Now, Gilen will lead you two out." He started shooing you two away. "Have a great rest of the evening, little Lovers!"

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

  
After leaving the psychic shop, a wonderful scent had wafted through the air. You'd made a comment on the sweetness of the smell, to which Zao had pointed out the numerous light-up stands selling carnival snacks.

No one could resist, including you.

At the moment, you were sitting on a bench that had a dazzling view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Pacific Ocean. The evening sky was the color of azure and the bridge was tinted gold by the trail of moving headlights.

"Can I just eat this and sit here for the rest of my life?" You inquired halfheartedly as you dug in to the snack Zao had bought you. It was a deep-fried Snickers bar, sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with warm chocolate syrup.

"Of course you can, as long as it's with me." He smoothly replied as he munched on his gourmet caramel apple.

"Sounds like a deal," You joked. Taking another gaze at the landmarks, you were pleased to notice you could see an island from here as well. "Hey look, that island over there is Alcatraz, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Over there is a ferryboat on its way there too," He pointed out.

"Heh... I really have no idea how inmates could have escaped that prison by tricking the guards and swimming through shark-infested waters to shore."

"Me either. They got crafty. Put Luciano in there back when it was operating and I honestly think he could have escaped with them."

You laughed. "Yeah, probably."

"But, could you imagine..." He exhaled and leaned on your shoulder a bit, "If I was in jail, I would lose my mind. I don't blame those convicts for going through hell to escape. I mean, like... as a prisoner, I wouldn't be able to handle not seeing you."

A smile eased onto your lips. "So it's about me..."

He grinned and reached for your hand. "'Course. With me gone, I'd go insane thinking some other guy would snatch you away."

"I'm having a hard time imagining myself as a prison wife," You mentioned playfully.

"That's because you wouldn't be one," He winked. "You'd be the Bonnie to my Clyde."

You both laughed a bit and then he added, "Okay but seriously. You'd have to become a prison wife once I called and wrote you every day." He scooted closer to you, knee-to-knee-, leg-to-leg.

You looked into his face; he was so close. You were at eye level and the genuine smile on his lips was absolutely alluring.

Subconsciously, he looked down to your lips as well. With a slow, careful, longing tone, he said, "I bet if we kissed, you'd taste so sweet... like chocolate and powdered sugar."

"Mmm..." You moved the treat aside without breaking eye contact. _How is there any way to say I_ ** _want_** _him to kiss me?_

Instead, he gently dusted the white powder off your lips with his thumb. As he did so, he quietly stated, "You know... that first time we kissed?"

You felt numb. You couldn't move if you tried. "Yes..." You replied once he softly moved his hand away.

"I didn't think you'd actually let me kiss you. It was just a stupid game; I didn't think anything would happen and..." He exhaled. "When I felt you, I just kinda froze up. I was totally scared and shocked that I couldn't move for a few seconds and when I did, it was like it hadn't happened at all."

"I know..." You nearly whispered as you peered away from his eyes, slightly embarrassed by the flashback. "But," You couldn't hold in, "What about the second time?"

"Second time?" At this, a wolfish grin crossed his face. "...Are you doing this on purpose?"

"D-Doing what?"

"Making me remember these things so I can desperately want to kiss you again."

"No, I was just curious..."

"Well too bad, because I already desperately want to kiss you."

"Oh..." It was too late, because you were too embarrassed to look at him.

He breathed out and said, "...It was like ecstasy."

"Huh?" By accident, you looked at him again, but now he was staring into the deep blue San Francisco skyline.

"You asked how I felt about our second kiss. I said it was like ecstasy."

_That one was way more intense, passionate, and real. It was while we were laying in my bed, for God's sake._

"I take that back. It was like LSD... but better. Even the affects. There were stars, not crazy shit like the things you see when you're on the actual party drug."

You laughed and playfully smacked his shoulder, "Don't compare my kisses to drugs."

"But I said you're better.~"

_He meant it too, especially after what he said on the phone the other day before he admitted he liked me._

"You have some kind of poison and it's slowly killing me."

You poked him in the ribs. "C'mon, don't talk that way..."

He laughed a little, and with another look at the horizon, you both realized night was beginning to fall. The sky was considerably darker. "Anyway... I had one other thing planned for us once it got dark."

You jokingly slid away from him, "No sex."

He snorted. "I know. It's not sex." He paused. "But that's always an option."

"So..." You swung your legs from the bench a little. "What is it?"

He stood up and then outstretched a hand to help you up. "You'll see when we get there.~"

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

"Where are you _taking_ me?" You asked for like the fifth time as he led you through an alleyway.

During the whole drive, he wouldn't drop a single hint as to what the destination was. And even now, after you'd gotten out of the car, crossed a deserted city street, and walked through an alley, you still had no idea where he was going.

"I told you already. You'll see." He teased as he led you further down the abandoned alley.

"This is starting to feel kind of dangerous... keep in mind that I have pepper spray."

He chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll protect you whenever you need. Just say my name and I'll be there to save you."

"Ugh..."

You stopped pouting when you heard the sound of thumping techno rhythms beginning to emanate from one of the nearby buildings. "Uh... _Zao_..." You began, your voice getting higher-pitched.

He didn't turn around as he led you by the hand to a door in the middle of the alley. "You can't leave until you've seen it!~" He warned giddily.

" _Where_ the hell are w—"

He opened the door, and you were nearly blown away by the sheer sound waves vibrating into the air by blasting, catchy EDM.

"Haha, take a look, babe!"

Inside was an enormous Renaissance-themed concert hall.

It was pitch-black... save for the countless colorful, flashing lights going off in all directions.

Strobe lights, disco balls, multi-colored fluorescents, neon signs, glow sticks, light sabers, and any other type of glow-in-the-dark gear were scattered all over the endless room in every bright color imaginable.

A tremendous mass of people were in the middle, dancing like it was their last day to live. They were decked out in the most insane clothes you'd ever seen – light up suspenders, party hats with flashing lights, playful thigh-highs and garters, striped legwarmers, neon suits, cat ears, tutus, bear paws, fishnets, feather boas, animal tails, glowing gas masks, bikinis made of flowers, Halloween-in-July-Costumes, and ribbon, lace, and fur galore.

"A _rave?"_ You squeaked, then turned to Zao. "You brought me to a fucking _rave?!"_

He smiled at you. "Doesn't it look fun?"

"Well..."

The laser light shows projected onto the walls were mesmerizing. A live DJ was on stage, along with performers in ultra-crazy rave outfits (even some in animal onesies), the ground was covered in glitter and artificial smoke, five-foot tall beach balls were bouncing through the crowds of ravers, and the electronic dance music was like magic to your ears.

You two were still standing in one of the doorways, a good enough distance from the throng of ravers. "To be honest, I'm a little uncomfortable..."

He stepped closer to you. "What's wrong, _bǎobèi?"_

"I-I'm not exactly one to go to parties, much less rave parties. I'm not used to being around so many people either, so I'm just gonna be, like... really awkward..."

He grinned, "I knew you'd say that. But hey, I think even you could enjoy this!~ Just watch, you will, and then you'll give me a thank-you kiss."

"But... don't these things get kinda crazy? Like with party drugs? It makes me nervous..."

"The raves around here don't get too crazy. I mean like, there's no way you're gonna get injured at a tiny rave in San Francisco. Oh, and don't worry about the drugs; no one's going to offer you any, I promise."

"How do I know that?"

He thought for a moment. "...I literally made sure of it. Plus, I wouldn't ever let you try drugs."

That last part made you feel a bit better. _I'm glad he's never offered me any and that he never will._ "Still... um, I'm not a very good dancer."

He waved it off, "Who cares? No one! Just have fun and let loose, that's all I'm askin' ya.~"

"But..." You tried to think of another excuse, but there wasn't one. And as you stood longer behind the mass, you realized that your desire to stay away was getting smaller and smaller. You were tired of always backing away from the crowds. Tired of seeing people and deciding to book it. Tired of running away from the fun things in life.

It felt like the dancing lights and carefree atmosphere were beckoning you to come closer. No one would judge you here, you just knew it; especially with the fact that everyone was wearing the craziest shit you could literally not see anywhere else but at a rave.

"Okay... I have to admit I'm a little curious." You admitted with a small smile, to which he fist-pumped with satisfaction.

"Great! Let's go in and forget all our worries."

As soon as he stepped more into the crowd – with you in tow – people began to recognize him. Immediately, you began to hear catcalls, cheers and chants, "Zao Wang!", "There he is!", "Everyone watch out, the Emperor just walked in!"

You giggled at his cluster of 'fans'. "Emperor? Really?"

He rolled his eyes. "They're just kidding."

"But... you hold some kind of high position over here, don't you?"

He laughed awkwardly. You could barely hear him over the thumping music beats. "Let's talk about that later."

You almost stopped walking when you realized he was headed straight for the stage, and that everyone was basically clearing a path for him to get up there. "Whoa, wait? We're not going up there, are we?"

"That's what everyone wants.~"

"But...!"

After a bit more walking, he easily got near the stage. He leaned on the rail to the steps and watched you closely. "Trust me, once you're dancing up there with me, surrounded by the other performers too, you'll forget you're even on stage. It won't feel like we're the center of attention, because we're not. And this is the best rave experience — up on stage where you can see everything."

"I haven't exactly done anything like this before."

"A toast to another one of your firsts with me."

You giggled, "Nice save."

He couldn't stop smiling at you. His crimson-colored irises were pleading. "Plus... everyone will know that you're mine."

That was a bigger plus than he knew. _Maybe if all the girls in the crowd see me dancing with him, they'll know he's with me and that they can keep their hands off him._ Besides, everyone here seemed to respect him, and so they'd probably respect your relationship, too. Every single girl you'd made eye contact with in here had offered you nothing short of a smile or wave.

There were so many ostentatious dancers up on stage that you were sure you wouldn't stand out, so there wasn't a problem of anyone seeing you embarrass yourself. Besides, the performers were too busy dancing to notice you, and you felt comfortable around Zao despite your circumstances.

So... why not? Even if you just _stood_ there, you knew there was a 400 percent chance Zao would shamelessly dance _around_ you and make you laugh like there's no tomorrow.

"Er... okay." You agreed before you could change your mind.

His eyes practically _sparkled_. "Really?! Yay!" He eagerly tugged on your hand to come up the stage steps with him, and you knew you would not regret this moment.

Walking onto the rave's main stage was a sort of euphoric experience you weren't sure you could describe.

The performers continued dancing, and a few of them gestured for you to step forward in a friendly manner. However, they didn't pester you about it; they let you come on stage at your own pace.

Zao was like their king. You could have sworn the crowd got louder in a cheer when they saw him up there. As if to please them more, he busted out some amazing dances that could only be seen in famous music videos.

As you stared at him in awe, he broke away from the center of the stage and back to you. "You ready babe?"

"R-Ready for what?"

"I noticed you haven't started dancing yet."

You laughed nervously, "I will eventually. This music is really catchy. It makes me want to dance even if I don't really like to."

"Then dance with me."

Facing you, he stepped back a little. As he did so, the track ended. He held out his hand to you and spoke in tune with the next song's exact words: _"That's a cool face, wanna date?"_

As the cheerful electronic tunes started up, you placed your hand in his and that's how it started.

You danced with him. You'd finally let go of your insecurities and threw them in the air. It was _fun_ , unlike you'd expected it to be. Of course, your dance moves couldn't even begin to compare to his; he was seriously talented.

_He's like a fucking K-pop star,_ you thought. _He's got the dancing skills, the face, and the abs to become one_.

You almost didn't feel worthy to call him your partner, but he _made_ you feel important. He made you feel like the only person who mattered in the world. He liked you so much and he'd always made it so obvious.

And now, he'd succeeded in getting you out of your comfort zone. He'd excelled in introducing you to new things that he knew you'd love, and he'd done phenomenal at understanding your feelings and taking it slow until you started to have the _time of your life._

Going on this date with him was one of the best decisions you'd made in months _. Where would I be without him?_ you wondered. _Alone in my bedroom at night with zero romantic experience?_

Needless to say, you liked him so much more after tonight. Perhaps even more than _liked_ him.

After a couple hours, you two got tired and hot. You decided to go outside and buy some water bottles from the vending machines at the end of the street, then head home.

The music from the rave got more and more muffled as you two walked further away. You almost missed it, even if you were exhausted.

"So did you have fuuuun?" He cooed.

You nodded breathlessly, "More than I ever thought possible."

After chugging down half a bottled water, you both could talk easier. "Thank you so much for bringing me."

He waved it away. "No _problem_. I have to say thank you for _letting_ me bring you there. I actually – _whoa_."

"What?"

He was quiet for a moment, staring at something behind you.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh shit," He cursed. "I mean, nothing, we're not in danger or anything, but ho _lyshitwegottago_." He lunged for your wrist and scurried back to his car without another word, laughing quietly and maniacally all the while.

At his weird laughter, you couldn't help but join in. "What's so funny...? Who did you see?"

Once inside the car, he answered, "Just someone we had to escape from."

"Who?"

He mumbled to himself, "I can't believe he's here..."

"Ion?"

"No," He chuckled, genuinely amused yet horrified. "Someone worse."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tYPOS B E G O N E


	15. He's Committed to You, Darling

This night seemed endless.

The condo's hallway was empty. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, moonlight poured across the patterned carpet and white walls. The lights overhead flickered audibly with age.

Your back was resting against your front door as you stared at the ground, giggling, as Zao laughed quietly and tried again. "I mean, this is the part where you stall... Y'know, mess with your keys and stuff... Right?" His voice was soft, thoughtful, but you could detect more laughter threatening to bubble up to the surface.

"Yes...," You murmured, unable to stop smiling. "Not that I would know. This is my first date too, remember?"

"Mhmm. Oh wait, no. I'm supposed to do this." He pressed his palms to the surface behind you and leaned forward, caging you between his arms with no escape.

After a few seconds of silence, you both burst into laughter again. "This is the iconic position of every shoujo anime."

"Right?" He grinned, "That may or may not be the reason I've always wanted to do this to a girl."

"And I was the first?~" You cheekily half-sang.

His smile was gentle. "You were the first. But then again... you've been a lot of firsts for me."

Your voice quieted to match his. "Like... what?"

His eyes slowly roamed over your face with an admiring expression. "...I'll tell you some other day, _bǎobèi_."

"But tonight's the night of our first date," You pressed, half-joking. "Wouldn't it be good to know right now? Before I go back inside my house?"

"Tales for another day."

You rolled your eyes, "Such a tease. In more ways than one."

He grinned, his arms still taut on either side of you. "By the way... I don't think you ever gave me that thank-you kiss."

"A... thank-you kiss?"

He nodded once. You were staring into his mischievous face – and down to his full, perfect lips. No one was around, it was quiet, and you were about to go back into your house. It was now or never. He was waiting, and he'd just given you one of the best nights of your life.

You whispered, "Then I'll give it to you now." _You deserve it, honestly._

Carefully, you tilted your head, leaned forward, closed your eyes, and pressed your lips to his. Soon, the touch of soft skin registered on your closed, sensitive mouth.

Your heart was pounding hard enough to feel the pulse in your ears, and his warm lips were limp with surprise. Quickly, you pulled away, a flush burning from your cheeks down to your neck. "Thank you. I had a great time and... you even got me to dance at a rave. I don't know how you managed that."

He was in a daze for a few seconds. "...Anything for you." Once he recovered from the intimate thank-you that spelled _finally_ , he leaned in for a deeper, more invasive kiss.

The back of your head pressed to the door as his mouth smoothed over yours, applying more pressure, intensity, and movement than before. This was a _real_ kiss. Within seconds, you felt the wet brush of his tongue slide over your bottom lip. A wave of heat washed over your body and you accidentally let out a sound of pleasure.

His hands slid down the wall toward your own. Through another open-mouthed kiss, he gripped your palms in his and interlocked his fingers with yours; making everything seem too good to be true.

After another ten seconds of making out with him, you recalled what you'd been meaning to tell him all night. You needed to say it before he left, you _had_ to.

You broke the kiss, leaving the two of you panting and gently pressed to the other's forehead. "...Zao. I really... _really_ like you."

There; you'd finally told him.

His eyes widened slightly and he took a step back. "You—" After another few seconds of disbelief, he broke into the biggest, goofiest grin you'd ever seen on him. "Wow..."

You laughed at his visible elation. "You look like such a dork right now."

"Shut up I'm happy."

Soon, you were both giggling together again. "Well..." You began, putting a hand on the doorknob. "I should, uh, get inside."

He was still over the moon with non-drug-injected ecstasy and barely managed to acknowledge your new statement. "Yeah... 'night..." His expression was purely euphoric, lovestruck; you could practically see a sparkly, starry, heart-dusted aura surrounding him.

You went inside. He waved goodbye. You crawled into bed and replayed the flawless night over and over again.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

The next morning, you were doing an errand for your parents at the nearest convenience store. The streets of San Francisco's Chinatown weren't too busy today so it was easy to get in and out of the aisles. You had a small list of groceries you were told to retrieve, but you were feeling a bit distracted today.

The blame was surely on the fact that your date with Zao last night was still on your mind. How could one boy be so perfect? You could acknowledge that he had several flaws like any other human being, but you found yourself attracted to his negative points too. Thinking about him made you giddy inside. _There's a word for this feeling; one that I'm not sure I should already feel._

As you were contemplating this, speak of the devil – you noticed someone in the spice section who looked just like him from behind.

The cute side-ponytail and dark brown color gave him away, as did the short stature and traditional Chinese-style clothing. Though his back was to you, there was no doubt in your mind that it was Zao.

Feeling light, raptured, and as though your body were made of stardust, you skipped over and embraced him from behind. "Hey you dork," You snaked your arms around his chest and squeezed tightly. "Is it weird that I kept thinking of you last night?"

He stiffened. He didn't speak. You began to sense something was wrong.

Slowly, he turned around, your arms still encircling him.

Oh.

Shit.

_That's not Zao._

You jumped off him as quickly as if you'd been burned. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry!"

The look on the stranger's face was surprised but amused.

... _Holy crap he looks so much like him!_

He was a cute Asian dressed in a red-and-gold Mandarin collar shirt with long, oversized sleeves and black trousers. He wasn't showing nearly as much skin as Zao usually does, so that should have been your first clue that it wasn't really him. You knew how much Zao liked to show off his tattoos, after all.

Instead, you found yourself staring into a pair of heavenly amber eyes.

He smiled gently, "No worries. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

"Y-Yeah..." You were insanely relieved to see him so understanding of this. "I'm... still so sorry. I grabbed you really... inappropriately... I'm really sorry, p-please forget that just happened." You meant to stop talking, but you were so embarrassed that you rambled on a bit.

He laughed a little, but it was full of kindness. "There is no need to get flustered, _ānān_. I already accepted your apology." He tilted his head and grinned genuinely.

"R-Right." Awkwardly, you swiveled around and walked away without another word. _Damn, that was mortifying._

"Have a good day!" He cheerfully called after you.

_...But mother of god, that guy was adorable._

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Later that day, you were walking home from Flavio's house. You were _supposed_ to stay there until the evening, but there was a change of plans.

Naturally, Luciano had been there too. Unfortunately, he'd invited someone in the house who looked way too huge and intimidating to be anything besides some type of gang leader, so you'd asked Flavio, "Who's that?" To which he replied, "Oh, that's just Basilio!~ He won't hurt you." But he looked like a twentysomething bodybuilder so you weren't exactly comfortable there. You'd decided to walk home, since their house wasn't too far from yours.

 _Text me when the scary guy is gone,_ you said in a message to Flavio.

As you were walking the block to your house, you were caught behind a group of middle school-age kids. Without meaning to, you overheard snippets of their conversation. Apparently they were talking about the upcoming school year.

 _Ugh... school's not too far away..._ you thought with a sigh. You'd been enjoying your summer freedom and it was already close to ending.

 _Speaking of which... what about Zao?_ Was he not coming to school again this year? You didn't like the fact that he was a truant, even if he did it because he needed the time to work and support his brothers – er, _roommates._ And school would be so much more tolerable with him around _._ Just thinking about school with him made you excited for the new beginning.

With that, you decided to have a talk with him about it. Perhaps you could convince him to change his mind.

 _I haven't even talked to him since last night,_ you recalled _. I wonder what he's up to today?_

After a few minutes, you got to a particular side of the district that looked familiar. _Huh,_ _this looks like where Kuro led me that one night..._

Sure enough, you noticed the 'Dragon Gate', which was the Chinatown entrance on Grant Avenue and Bush Street. _I knew it... this is around where Zao lives._

You'd only been to his house once, and it was when Kuro brought you here. Back then, there was a party going on and the place was filled with teenage runaways, rebels, dropouts, and ex-cons. Zao had been drinking too much and you'd basically put him to bed; you'd also fixed the problems going on between you and him at the time. Well, for the most part.

You stopped walking at that point. Yup, this was definitely Zao's house. The sign with Chinese symbols above the door had 'Wang' written in small English.

 _I wonder if he can hang out today?_ Your parents weren't expecting you home until the evening, since they thought you were with Flavio. You could totally call them to say you left and that you'd be at Zao's house. It honestly made no difference to them because they knew both Flavio and Zao pretty well, due to how often they were at your house with Allen and Oliver.

Before you could change your mind, you began typing a text.  
  
  


 **You:** Hey, I'm outside your h  
  
  


You stopped typing mid-word when you heard faint shouts coming from the inside of the house.

The voices weren't distinct enough to recognize, but one of the tones sounded angry. It was clear that the two people inside were in the middle of an argument of some sorts. _That seems rare... Zao doesn't ever get angry... maybe it's Kuro and Yonsu? But then again, I've never seen Kuro yell... so who's in there fighting?_

You felt like you should walk away now, but before you could take a step back, you noticed that the front door was slightly ajar. No wonder you could hear the voices – they were leaking through the open door.

After listening a bit closer, you recognized that the yelling was in Chinese. _So one of them has to be Zao,_ you thought. You figured this wasn't any of your business, but it almost felt like one of them being Zao _made_ it your business.

 _I'm being irrational..._ you thought. _We're not even together. We're not a couple. What he does and what happens to him shouldn't concern me._

Except it did. What if he was in trouble? He may seem innocent to you, but it was clear that he was the type of guy to rack up a few enemies.

You quickly grabbed your phone, erased the previous message, and sent a different one.  
  
  


 **You:** Are you okay? I hear yelling from your house...  
  
  


You waited about a minute, and during that time, the shouting quieted down. Someone eventually said something, and it sounded much more casual than the previous. _Did he get my text? Was there nothing to worry about...?_

You stood waiting for another half-minute until you sensed movement behind the slightly-open door.

It suddenly flung open, taking you by surprise. You jumped and proceeded to gape at Zao's pleased grin. "Oh, you're here. Let's have rough sex then cuddle."

You sighed in relief. "So you're okay, I see."

He tilted his head, still grinning. "I'm _fantastic_ , how are you?"

You gave him a _look_. He seemed way too casual about this. "What's going on in there? And," You ran a hand through your hair in defeat. "Did I really just hear what I thought I heard as soon as you opened the door?"

He shrugged playfully, "Maybe. You call the shots babe, I just wanna be yours."

 _What if you already are?_ You coughed awkwardly. "Um... so. You didn't answer the first question."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not doing much. Just visiting with a relative."

"Shouting?"

He chuckled, "What can I say? He yells a lot. He's like a little ball of anger. And apparently everything I do makes him mad, it's so cute."

You laughed a little. "His anger is _cute?"_

He smirked and reached for your wrist. Tugging on it, he spun around and began walking inside. "Come see it."

He led you into the kitchen, which had a marble island that served as both extra counter space and a mini bar with stools. He plopped down on one just as you saw someone grasping for a pot out of a high cupboard. His back was to you, and you could see him straining his short, thin, pale arm to reach the item. Even his fingers were struggling to touch it. "Urghh..." His little noise of disgruntlement was noticeably adorable, too.

"Watch out Yao, we've got company."

"I heard," The boy replied, then turned around to look at you.

_...Oh crap._

Your face just about drained of all color. _That's the guy from the spice aisle this morning!_

You felt the embarrassment all over again. _I knew he looked too much like Zao to be a coincidence...!_ "Uh, h-hi again!" Your voice was shaky, but you tried not to sound nervous.

He blinked owlishly. "Oh... hello there." He managed a polite smile at you, and then glanced back to Zao with an accusing scowl. "She seemed like such a nice girl. What is she doing here with _you?"_ He spoke to him with disapproving venom.

Zao watched him with the sly smile of a fox. He propped an elbow on the counter to rest the side of his face on and told him, "She's too good for me, I know. But she likes me and I'm not complaining."

Yao's amber eyes flickered to you. "Is she the—"

"-Is she the one I won't shut up about?" Zao side-glanced at you and winked, "You bet."

After a few seconds, Yao shook his head in bafflement and leaned towards you. "A word of advice, young one. You can do much better than my stupid cousin."

Zao put a hand to his heart in mock hurt, "That is _hardly_ advice."

"So, I have a few questions..." You jumped in as you sat in the stool next to Zao. His shorter, more slender cousin was leaning against the counter directly across from you.

"Same. Me first," Zao cut in. He raised a hand and pointed between you and his relative. "...Did I hear you two met before?"

Yao grinned 'innocently', but it looked more passive-aggressive than anything else. "She thought I was you and embraced me this morning," There was a faint blush on his cheeks. "In all honesty, it made my day."

At this, Zao pouted at him. "What? No, she's only allowed to hug me..."

"A-Anyway," You coughed to get their attention off that. "So, Yao. Where are you from?"

He smiled proudly, "I'm visiting from mainland China! I'll be here for two weeks. Also, if you don't mind," He looked you over once. "_____, is it? Are you Zao's girlfriend?"

"Uhh..." You wound up saying "No," while at the same time Zao said, "Yes."

This caused an awkward moment of stillness, to which Zao looked at you and silently worded, _"We'll talk about that later,"_ with a suggestive expression on his face.

Yao laughed a bit. "That's quite amusing. Perhaps you two can settle this over dinner." With that, he turned and continued preparing to cook. He reached for that high-up pot again with little success. He ended up having to grab a stool to get it. "...You _are_ staying for dinner, aren't you, _____? I make the best, most authentic Chinese cuisine than anyone here in this shitty Chinatown."

You giggled at his commentary. "Sure."

"Good. The more the merrier." He peered at Zao and grinned smugly. "You're lucky I'm here. I'm sure you would have gotten her Panda Express or some other American crap."

You laughed again. "Jeez, Yao. Aggressive."

He shrugged, "That's mostly what his diet consists of. That, as well as frozen food and other takeout. Oh, and fast food. The devil."

"Well you're not wrong," Zao shamelessly agreed. "I can't cook for shit."

"Um, I just remembered my other question," Your gaze shifted between the two of them and back again. "...Zao, is he the one we were running from outside the rave last night?"

Yao lightly slammed a fist on the marble counter and growled, "God damn you Zao! Why were you running from me?!"

At this, you burst into giggles as Zao held up his arms in a 'don't shoot' pose and grinned apologetically. "We've been _over_ this, cousin!" He was clearly stifling laughter. "I _told_ you, me and _____ were having a moment and you totally would have ruined it."

"I was _looking_ for you, you ignoramus!" He glared at him with a cute pout. "I'd just gotten off my flight and you weren't answering your phone. Kuro, Yonsu, and Jin were at work so I couldn't call them..."

"At least I caught up with you after I dropped off _____.~"

"I still won't forgive you."

"Yes you will."

"I won't!"

"You already did. You love me, don't you Yao-Yao?"

At this, Yao flushed and irritably looked away. "I don't love you. I-I tolerate you."

"Now you're acting like Kuro!~" Zao teased.

"Oh hush," He began shooing him away. "Go melt your brain with more TV. Or opium, for all I care."

Zao laughed and then turned to you. "He wants us to shoo. How about we go to my bedr—"

"-I said _you_. She can stay. Also, you're not allowed out of my sight together. If I must be the chaperone for you two kids, then so be it."

"Awwh Yao, you're such an old man."

"And you are such a child."

"Okay, _grandpa."_

Yao's face reddened, "I'm twenty-two, barely five years older than you!"

" _Fine_ , fine. _____, let's go melt our brains with TV." He latched onto your wrist and tugged you over to the living room, which was connected to the kitchen and completely within Yao's view.

As you both plopped down on the couch, he casually asked, "By the way... how come you were outside my house?" He peered at you with a hopeful look that resembled that of an excited puppy waiting for the answer of approval. "You wanted to see me that much...?"

You laughed a bit. "I was just... around." It was true, anyway. You reached for the remote and mindlessly turned on the television.

It was on Nickelodeon. You figured Jin had been the last person to watch something on it.

The bright, cheerful colors of CGI-animated backgrounds lit up the screen.

_Chat Noir momentarily examined his low-battery Miraculous ring. "Huh, I'd stick around a while longer... but I'm afraid you'll swoon too hard," He glanced at Ladybug, gave her a two-fingered salute, and winked. "And you'll never wake up if you saw my true face." He teasingly leaned into her face as if he was about to give her a kiss._

_She grinned and gently pushed him away. "That's_ **_never_ ** _going to happen, you dork, now get going."_

You pointed to the cat-eared boy in a black leather body suit. "Heyyy, that's you."

No lie though, Zao was just as much of a flirt as Chat Noir, his personality was similar, and your relationship with him was basically the same as Ladybug's.

Zao turned his gaze from the show to you. "Hmmm, really?" He pressed his shoulder to yours and cooed, "If I'm Chat Noir, then I guess that makes you my Ladybug."

You looked down a bit shyly. "I guess, haha..."

"Maybe we should cosplay as them and take pictures of us making ou—"

You squeezed his cheeks together with your thumb and pointer finger to keep him from talking. "-Not happening."

"See? This was a total LadyNoir moment."

"I can't _believe_ you know the name for that ship."

"So you agree?"

You squeezed his cheeks even more, to which he winced in pain. "...That hurts, _my lady."_

"Oh my _god_ ," You let go of his cheeks and fell face-down into the couch, shoving your pleasantly shocked-slash-mortified expression into the cushions. "You did not."

You could _hear_ him grinning. "I'll keep making Chat Noir and Ladybug references if this is the reaction I get from you."

"Please don't..." You managed to say through muffled giggles.

He playfully crawled over your body, straddled your back and toyed with your hair. "Come play with me, Ladybug!~"

From across the living room and over the kitchen island, you heard Yao call out, "Hey you children! Quit making out! I am _right here!"_

Laughing, Zao got off you and whispered, "I'm glad you came here. I couldn't have handled dinner alone with him..."

You sat up and fixed your ruffled hair and clothes a little. "Why?" You whispered back. "You guys seem... friendly, in a weird way."

"Yeah, exactly, in a _weird_ way!"

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Dinner with them was... awkward, but amusing to say the least.

Yao was sweet and polite to you, but strict and upfront when talking to his cousin. The dinner table topics were in the range of normal, compared to your usual conversations with Zao. His relative seemed to keep things rated PG. He struck you as an old-fashioned type, but overall, he seemed kind, wise, sort of cute, and good-hearted.

After dinner, Zao nonchalantly emptied a mini packet of Skittles into his mouth as he told Yao, "Y'know, cousin, you seem tired, why don'tcha go rest in the living room for a bit while I show _____ around the house?" He chewed the candy and swallowed. "Since she hasn't exactly gotten a tour of the place before..."

"I can barely understand you with those weird sweets in your mouth."

"They're Skittles; I first tried them when I came to America. Want some?" He held out another fun-sized packet of them.

Yao looked at them curiously. "I may not like many things in America, but I suppose I'm willing to try their sweets." He reached for them and popped one in his mouth.

Seconds later, his pupils enlarged as if he'd undergone a sugar high. "THESE ARE AMAZING, DO YOU HAVE MORE?!"

He tossed him a king-sized packet from the cupboard. "Have fun," He then jumped over to you, grabbed you by the arm, and dragged you away from Yao.

"Good, looks like he'll leave us alone now." He fist-pumped once in victory as he led you down the hall.

"So I've been meaning to ask, where are Jin and Yonsu?"

"They're working tonight. So is Kuro."

"I see. So, uh... am I gonna get to see all the secrets in your room?" You playfully asked him. After all, you'd always wondered what a guy like Zao would have in his bedroom.

"I don't know what you're expecting, but you'll probably be disappointed..." He admitted. "The only cool things in my room are Han dynasty sword replicas, my martial arts belts and medals, lighter souvenirs, Hello Kitty stickers, a MacBook, and condoms."

You rolled your eyes. "The swords sound pretty great. And martial arts stuff."

You two were approaching a bedroom door that sported dragon stickers and messily-written Chinese symbols down the middle. "I'm guessing that one's yours?"

The door across from it had a poster of a near-naked anime girl. _Probably Kuro's._ One of the doors down the hall had 'CAUTION' and 'thank you for smoking' plates on it. _Definitely Yonsu's._ The last door had childish doodles and video game pictures taped to it. _Jin's, for sure._

"That's right,"

As you reached for the knob to his room, he slyly slid between you and his bedroom door, causing you to retract your hand and look up at him. "What gives? Are you going to invite me in?"

He grinned flippantly, "Only if you kiss me first."

"Oh," You smiled jokingly and looked down. "How about no?"

He continued to block the door; his back rested against it. "To enter, you have to kiss me."

You reached for the handle despite his placement. "Or I can just go in."

He caught your hand and held it. Smiling, he tapped his lip with his free hand and repeated, "Kiss."

"Why d'you want me to kiss you so bad?" You mumbled out. _He could just kiss me,_ you thought. _Why do I have to do it?_

His expression was relaxed yet eager. His crimson eyes were lidded and his lips were in a tiny smirk. _He looks so good right now though..._

Giving in, you sighed and placed a quick, chaste peck to his cheek. "There,"

He _tsk_ 'ed, "Do I have to say it? Lips."

A flash of heat crossed through your body. "How much do you want it?"

"I don't know if you're either stalling or getting off to me being so desperate..."

"Are you _actually_ desperate?"

"I want it more than anything right now." He stepped closer and gently traced the outline of your lips with his finger, watching closely as it went over each curve.

 _Just kiss him,_ you commanded yourself _. Just lean forward and_ _do it_ _..._

As you were about to move in the final inches, you felt him slide his finger down to tilt your chin up. He leaned in and firmly pressed his mouth to yours.

 _He beat me..._ was your initial thought.

His lips molded perfectly to yours. They were warm, sweet, and tasted lightly of Skittles. The kiss was enough to bring a weakness to your knees.

His hand on your chin slowly crept down to the back of your neck and rested there, causing you to shiver a bit. He deepened the kiss with the part of his lips and the slither of his moist tongue.

"Mmm..." Your sensual sound caused your mouth to open slightly, to which he took full advantage of. Skillfully, he teased the inside of your lower lip with his tongue.

A few moments later, you finally gathered the willpower to pull away. "Um... you're a great kisser and all, but I don't think now's a good time to be making out."

"I didn't hear anything after 'you're a great kisser'."

You chuckled. "Let me just see your room and don't be weird about it."

"We'll see."

Afterward, you entered the said room.

It was cleaner than you thought it would be. Everything was a pure, off-white color: the walls, the ceiling, and the bedding. The ceiling was slanted toward the right side of the room and on the same side, there was a floor-to-ceiling window. Pressed to the glass was the undone bed with white sheets and a messy, fluffy white comforter. Somehow, the disheveled feathery blankets looked peaceful, natural, and gave off a serene feeling compared to that of a neat and fixed bed.

There was a nightstand, a desk, a mini couch, and a flat screen TV in the room as well. The walls had a few posters; mainly for indie pop idols and alternative rappers. One wall adorned sword replicas, martial arts belts, medals, and Chinese banners.

The shelf above his bed had a few knickknacks, such as Hello Kitty figures, various lighters, souvenir shot glasses, a vape pen, and... the red panda plushie that you gave him while he was in the hospital. "Wow, I can't believe you still have this." You immediately stepped over to it and picked it up. It was just as cute and huggable as you remembered.

"Seriously? Of _course_ I still have it, _bǎobèi."_ He plopped down on his bed and watched you intently.

You put down the stuffed animal and looked over the rest of the shelf. "You vape?"

"I heard it's better for you than smoking," He paused. "And it's better for me than opiates."

"Hah, at least it's legal." You looked around, but found nothing suspicious, to your revelation. "So you're not hiding any hardcore drugs?"

He laughed. "Not lately," The laughter died as he turned more serious. "It's because of you. Strange because I love bad habits – they're one of my specialties."

 _...He's telling the truth. He's dropping what makes him the most money just for me. Drug dealing is part of what supports him and his roommates... but he hasn't been doing it lately because of me._ "Zao..." You stepped over and stood directly in front of him.

He was still seated on the mattress as his eyes roamed lovingly over you. "I'm either crazy about you or just crazy."

You couldn't look at him for a moment after that. Your eyes aimed towards the floor.

"Awwh, that's cute. You got all shy." He laughed softly. "Don't get me turned on again, babe. We just kissed outside that door. Who knows what would happen if we made out right here."

Trying to act normal, you lightly pushed his chest. "Oh shut it."

He clamped his hand over yours, which was still on his chest _. Oh crap. I'm in trouble now_. A hint of excitement coursed through your veins.

You watched him, daring him.

"Is that _really_ what you want?" He purred.

He slid your hand lower, over the toned muscles of his chest, down to the middle of his waist. Your hand came in contact with the zipper of his pants. A moment later, your fingers registered an intense, sexy hardness beneath the denim of his jeans.

"You did that," He murmured.

The way you could feel him through his pants was undeniably hot. Slightly dazed, you felt around the hard-on a bit more.

At this, he smirked. "That feels nice."

 _I shouldn't be doing this,_ you realized. _But damn him for knowing how to seduce me._ "Um," You quickly pulled away. "Hah... that was hot though." _So smooth, _____._ You found yourself wondering how the hell you managed to unintentionally seduce _him_. You didn't consider yourself graceful or sexy in the slightest, contrary to his obvious beliefs.

He raised an eyebrow. "'Hot'?"

"It felt hot? I mean like, you've probably got a nice dick." You blurted. _Just. Stop. Talking,_ you told yourself. _You're only going to embarrass yourself even more. I don't even know how to act in these situations...!_ You groaned internally, wanting to go hide somewhere.

His crooked smile was amused, smug. "...It is, and it's massive." He looked you over. "Why don't you come over here and find out? Since, clearly, you've seen so many dicks." He was playing with you and it was infuriating.

You decided to play along. "...Only the best.~"

"Hm, mine would top the list."

You swallowed. This was meant to be funny but he made it provocative.

"So if we're done talking about my dick, does it mean I'm allowed to talk about your-"

"-No," You gestured furiously to the door. "Y-You have a guest downstairs! Remember?"

"He wouldn't mind..." Even _he_ sounded doubtful.

You stared half-judgmentally and shot back, "He so would."

"If he came in, I'd say, 'Aw what's the matter, Yao? We were just kissing.' and then he'd leave."

"But..." _We'd be doing more than kissing._

He grinned roguishly. "What did _you_ think we'd be doing?"

Defeated, you looked down to the carpet and mumbled, "Damn you for making me think of that..."

He stood to face you. "Guess that means I won.~" He hooked a finger into the front waistband of your jeans and pulled you closer.

His face was right in yours now. He was close enough to see the dark flecks in his crimson irises. Close enough to see a small dash of freckles across his nose. Silently, his eyes roamed over your features before he softly asked, "...What are we, _____?"

"I... we're..." This was difficult to say, but you knew this conversation was bound to happen sooner or later.

"You said you liked me," He took a few steps, making you back up. You quickly found yourself trapped between him and the surface of his desk. He had you completely caged in and you weakly tried to push him away, but all it did was give your fists an intimate placing on his hard chest.

He laughed quietly. "You're not actually trying to push me away."

His words were secretly true. You had no idea why you were resisting at this point.

His legs were flush against yours, his waist was pressed to yours, and he invaded your space enough to make your body feel weak. He and the surface behind you were possibly the only things keeping you upright.

"I'm all yours, _____." He admitted in a whisper. "And I'll still be yours even when you don't want me anymore."

"You... don't know that..." You softly whispered back, insecurities creeping in.

He didn't flinch. "I know that if you leave me, I'll be too hung up on you to move on to someone else. Trust me. Have I ever lied to you?"

_...Does he really like me that much?_

After his words registered, you asked yourself a different question.

_Does he really love me?_

_Can people know they're in love before they're in a relationship? And would this be his case?_

"...No, you've never lied to me."

A moment of silence stretched on.

"Date me," He finally said. A heartbeat later, he added, "...Please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realize much too late that i should have spelled 2p china's name differently. zhao? xiao? oh well ; n ;


	16. He Knows He Has to Change

"Date me," He finally said. A heartbeat later, he added, "...Please."

You felt a tightening in your chest.

_Date him?_

Your first instinct was to say yes and kiss him.

But the intellectual, responsible parts of your brain were warning _Slow down. There are still things that need to be covered._

You'd blurted a lot of thoughtless, humiliating, and unintentional things while in his presence before, but you weren't about to make another mistake – especially not one that could hurt him if you changed your mind later.

Truth be told, there were several reasons why you knew you shouldn't date Zao.

You'd known nearly all of them since the day you met him and the time afterward. They'd always lingered in the back of your mind like a type of bitter medicine that wouldn't go away. You'd always tried to push them aside; you _wanted_ to enjoy your time with him. There was no denying that you'd fallen for him despite his faults, and you'd allowed yourself to do so.

He still had ties to drug dealing. He hasn't gone to school for the past two years. He was knowledgeable, but in a street-smart sort of way more than anything else. Your parents weren't aware that he was an emancipated minor and probably wouldn't like the path he was going down. They didn't know much of anything about him, in all honesty.

It struck you that neither did you.

For example, you didn't even know why he'd left China, or what happened between him and his parents. You didn't know what caused his own mother and father to despise him enough to sign out of guardianship of him. From what it sounded like, they'd _disowned_ him. Not only that, but his roommates were in the same situation. How did they _really_ know each other and how did they _all_ break away from the responsibility of their parents? _Why?_

You could never imagine yourself or anyone you knew in their circumstance. If Zao wasn't the one in question, then how bad could his parents be? Were they tyrants? Emotionally unstable? Abusive? Were they _fucking crazy?_ Seriously, how could any parent let this happen to their son? Could the reason be something heinous; something he couldn't bear to tell you?

And the most important question: would you allow him to keep these secrets from you?

His whole case was unnatural. He would be your first real boyfriend, and the condition he was in didn't make it any simpler. You liked him, yes, but you needed to think of what's actually best for you. Even _Flavio and Oliver_ had advised you to remain cautious over contemplating a relationship with Zao.

In the end, you'd decided within those few moments that you couldn't start dating him until you knew exactly why he came here and why he ditched his parents. Also, not until he agreed to come back to school, if that was possible. And... you'd make him promise not to be involved with drugs anymore. High standards? Maybe, but they were important to you. This was the right thing to do. You weren't going to act like a young, stupid girl blinded by love.

Besides, you knew he wouldn't refuse.

"Zao..."

"I know." He somberly exhaled, " I shouldn't have said that."

His statement caught you off guard. "Huh...?"

"You... you don't think we should be together, do you?"

You looked down, and in this time, he finally pulled away to give you some space. "Well... there are some things..." You began.

"Some things. Right. I know," You could have sworn he sounded optimistic for a second there. "I'll fix them, babe, don't worry. I'll make myself worthy of you." Without warning, he leaned in to brush his lips over yours in an unspoken promise.

His kiss lingered for more than a few seconds. Soon, you became more conscious of it and kissed him back. Once, twice. Again, because this intimacy with him was pure bliss. _So he understands... I'm so glad he wasn't heartbroken..._ you thought as you kissed him once more. You were dominating him without realizing it; he'd gone stiff and unmoving.

After another moment, he groaned lightly. "You're making it harder for me to resist..." He mumbled against your lips.

"Mm... sorry." You pulled away, and in that moment, you realized this not-quite-dating-but-still-faithful-to-each-other phase didn't exclude kissing. It wouldn't be often, but you knew you wouldn't stop kissing him. That'd be impossible by now – once you had a taste of his _talents_.

"Don't be sorry," He said. "I'm still going to kiss you and you know it." You knew he meant not now, but in the future in general, whether an official couple or not.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

Quietly, he let out a sigh of relief. "Good... you didn't break my heart..."

You smiled softly at him. "How would I break your heart?"

"If you kissed me once and then never again."

_...He's right,_ you concluded _. That'd be h_ _eart shattering._

After a bit of silence passed, he added, "...So did we just become friends with benefits?"

You flinched. "What?! No. I mean yes. Er... not really but, kind of?"

"...I know exactly what you mean." You both did.

"So... give me some time. And I'll give you some time too. Like... to think about it. I'll change what I need to change for you, okay? That's a promise."

All you could do was grin affectionately at him. "Okay."

A few moments afterward, you heard the front door open. Muffled voices seeped through the walls of Zao's bedroom as the newcomers bounded inside the house.

"They're gonna be so much better, I know it!"

"The other ones were already good. I don't think they can outdo themselves with this one."

"You don't know that, Yonsu! I can't wait for them."

"Sounds like the boys are home," You laughed a bit. "What could they possibly be talking about?"

Zao shrugged, "Probably something dorky."

"Too bad Pokémon Sun and Moon's release date is six months from now." You heard a deadpanned tone join in with the others. Clearly Kuro was with them.

" _Told_ you it was something dorky," Zao said.

You smiled. "C'mon."

You led him back into the living room where his three roommates – more like his own blood – had arrived home from their shifts.

Yao was already greeting them, exclaiming, "You've all grown so much! Look how much taller you've become, Jin! Awwh and Kuro, you look like an adult now! Yonsu, I told you not to let Zao influence you?! Whatever, but welcome home!" He tried to hug them all, but they made it clear they wanted nothing to do with him, even Jin who dove past him and scurried towards you and Zao.

"_____! I didn't know you were coming over!" He grinned and waved hello.

You patted his head and glanced back at Zao. "Even your cousin knows them, huh?"

"Yeah, my family's known them since before we moved to America."

Again, you were curious to ask about his family, but you knew you should wait for him to tell you on his own.

"How dare you three coldly ignore me! I am your elder and you should show more respect." Pouting, Yao huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at them.

"Uh-huh, nice to see ya again old man." Yonsu waved him off and lit up a cigar, to which Yao openly gaped.

_"Cigars_ now? Zao, how could you raise them like this?!" Close to tears and basically in chibi form, Yao ran over and shook his look-alike's shoulders.

"I didn't raise them; they just happened to be with me." Was his excuse as he tried not to laugh in his face.

"And we love it! Zao's so cool!" Jin happily chimed.

"Shut up; you're annoying." Zao fired back.

Yao shook him harder, "...You have no idea how lucky you are, dammit! Ungrateful! Problem child!" With each insult, he visibly gripped him tighter, until Zao finally pried his hands off him.

"And you haven't even talked to my favorite co-captain yet. Kuro, what's good?" Grinning modestly, he chin-pointed to the shorter Japanese, which got Yao to gaze at him as well.

Indifferently, he peered up from his smartphone and then coolly stated, "Zao-kun, I think you have a fetish for me," His soulless red eyes pierced to you and he visibly smirked, "Wouldn't that be something."

Zao burst out laughing, which caused all your memories of Zao being overly affectionate to Kuro come to mind, while flustered noises sputtered from Yao in utter confusion.

"I-I see Zao still has a soft spot for you then, Kuro-san?" Yao asked for confirmation once he recovered.

"It's the same as it's always been, Yao-san...," His usual monotonous voice came out smooth, suggestive, and in your opinion, _creeptastic_. "...If you catch my drift."

You had no idea what that meant, but Yao seemed to have gotten it. You were about to ask him until Kuro turned to you again.

His sudden facing of you made you flinch and jump a bit. A chill ran down your spine and goosebumps appeared on your skin. _Kuro's always been kind of intimidating,_ you recalled.

His lips were in a wicked smile. "Hey, _____-chan. You have any kinks?"

Your jaw dropped. "Do I have any _what_...?"

"Maybe you're into immobilization. How would you like it if Zao or I tied you up? Or maybe—"

Zao snuck up from behind him. "O _kaaay_ , that's enough, you cute little ball of sin." Zao's hands had immediately clamped over Kuro's mouth. "Sorry 'bout that, _____. When he finally starts getting comfortable around a new person, he becomes more outspoken with his pervy thoughts; ain't he a doll?"

Stiffly, you pointed to Kuro and half-jokingly demanded, _"Why_ do you protect him?!"

_"Ai yah,_ I need a flight back to China." Yao grumbled as he threw his arms in the air and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

Zao smiled apologetically at you, his hands lowering from Kuro's mouth to wrap his arms around his shoulders, basically embracing him from behind. "Sorry _bǎobèi_. You can call me leader of the Kuro Honda Protection Squad."

"...Go die," Was Kuro's emotionless response to Zao.

"S-So cold..." He whimpered back.

"The hell? I'll never understand their relationship." Yonsu said to Jin, who nodded in blissful ignorance.

"I'm gonna go change." Kuro grumbled as he untangled himself from Zao's arms and walked off into the hallway.

Yonsu and Jin were already relaxing in the living room. The Korean was still smoking up a cloud while watching _The Walking Dead_ and Jin was curled up with pillows, a blanket, his 3DS, and was audibly speaking to his Sylveon in Pokémon Amie.

It was getting late, but you decided to hang out with them a bit, since your parents knew where you were and it wasn't your curfew yet.

Talking to Yonsu and Jin was basically a walk in the park compared to an interaction with Kuro. They were casual, fun, and easy to converse with, especially since you had some mutual interests. You noticed Zao pout a little every time you gave them all of your attention, but it wasn't often since Zao was hard to ignore.

After a while, it was time for you to get home. Jin hugged you goodbye and Yonsu saluted a farewell from his same spot on the sofa. "Don't flirt with other guys!" Zao called after you as you started towards the front door.

"I won't.~" You called back.

As you turned to reach for the doorknob, you noticed Yao leaning against the wall next to the doorframe. "Oh... hi Yao. Are you heading out too?"

Quietly, he moved off the wall and sighed. Facing you, he murmured, "No..."

_I still don't know why he's actually here,_ you recalled. _I honestly don't buy the explanation that he's just here for a visit._ "Yao. If you don't mind me asking... why are you _really_ here?"

This caused him to flinch. "Oh... my apologies, ______. I'm afraid the true reason might hurt you." He paused. "But I stopped you to tell you something you've probably already been cautioned about."

You exhaled. "Is it about dating Zao?"

He chuckled lowly, but it was without humor. "So you've heard."

"Maybe... but I don't think I've heard as much as you think."

"That makes it worse, so to speak."

"So what exactly did you want to say?" You knew your voice would start shaking next. _He said the true reason he's here might hurt me? How?_

"The same thing I'm sure your friends have told you – heed our warnings about him, _____. You don't know as much as you believe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end is so close,, i will finally be free


	17. You're His New Addiction

" _There_ you go, like that. Now toss it. You just – oh my god, _idiota_ , what did I say earlier about your stance?"

" _Ugh_ , I thought I was getting it." You stopped concentrating and simply flung the knife without a care. "I'm tired of this. Can we do something else, Luci?"

He ignored your remarks and gawked at where your knife had lodged. "Holy _shit_. You're almost at the bull's-eye."

After a moment, he spun around and waved it off with a snarky look. "Whatever. Just luck." He snidely adjusted his shirt collar, and you guessed this was his equivalent to Flavio's sassy hair flip.

At times, you could hardly believe they were _related_. They had clashing personalities, but it was impossible not to notice they were both high-maintenance. _This_ Vargas was dressed sharp as usual – just like his older brother – but his style of fashion was a lot more masculine compared to Flavio's.

The auburn-haired Italian was wearing a designer gray vest over a navy blue-and-white gingham shirt, straight-leg Diesel jeans with a brown leather belt, brown combat boots, and silver jewelry. Several rings and a Rolex watch adorned him, as well as white-gold earrings.

"Can we get out of here?" You two were in an alleyway that was covered in graffiti. Street names, slang, gang symbols, and targets were some of the many things spray-painted on the worn brick walls.

"Fine. But what else is there to do in this shithole?" He irritably kicked a wall as he started on the closest way out.

"Wow, you're so optimistic. I can see this is why we hang out so much." You mentioned sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Not to be rude, _bella_ , but you're one of _them_. No wonder you get along with Allen, Zao, and Lutz so much."

"But they're your friends too, right?" You caught up to the bossy Italian and walked side-by-side with him. "I never see you with anyone else. You're a part of the _squad_ , admit it.~" You joked lightly.

He growled, "I only hang out with them because they live the closest. And we go to school together... and I've known them too long. And they're not in jail or in hiding like other people I know."

"Oh, sure." _Maybe he just doesn't want to admit they're all good friends, him included. A tight-knit circle._ He _was_ pretty stubborn, after all. And he had a tendency to act as though he didn't like any of them. Honestly speaking, he must have nobody else.

"Anyway," His eerie magenta irises fell on you. "...Wanna go get coffee?"

You almost laughed. _And_ _I used to think he was so intimidating,_ you recalled. "Sure. Where's your car parked?"

You'd been bored in your room earlier when you received a text from him saying he was at the store across from your house and if you wanted to "join him or what bitch..." which was his nice way of requesting you to accompany him for awhile.

You were sure he didn't live here in Chinatown, but he definitely resided close by. So, you'd done a few errands with him, and afterward, he asked if you wanted to learn how to throw knives, which went okay for a bit, until he got too strict and spicy about it.

"I'm parked right outside the district. Let's go."

As you walked with him, you asked, "So why did you have all these errands to run by yourself? They seemed like the kinds of things parents would do, not teenagers. Plus, where's your brother? He likes coming here doesn't he?"

"He does. And because it's my responsibility," He gave you a side-glance. "Our parents moved out."

You nearly stopped walking. ' _Our parents moved out'?_ "...What the hell?"

"They still live in San Francisco, but they gave the current house to us."

You shook your head. _Weird_. You figured this wasn't your business, anyways. You were barely even friends with Luciano, but friends nonetheless. Enough to know about his living circumstances, but not enough to ask about them.

And besides, what's up with kids out here living on their own? Was that normal? Either way, you knew Zao's situation was not.

As you and Luciano walked out the Dragon Gate and exited Chinatown, your phone began to ring. Of course, the personalized ringtone you'd given Zao (K-pop, by Yonsu's urging) played until you answered. "Hey babe, what's up?" You slowed your pace to allow Luciano to walk several feet in front of you.

" _Something happened!"_ He cried out.

You raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Your question caught Luciano's attention. He spun around and slinked over to you, pressing the side of his body flush against yours.

You let him lean his ear to the other side of your phone. As he did, Zao hysterically responded, "Okay TMI warning but I was in the shower and the bar of soap slipped and shot out of my hands and nailed me right in the balls and I fell over in the tub and I couldn't breathe never believe anyone who tells you men are strong we are weak weak _weaklings_ and I need help—!"

The shouting was so bad that you had to hold the phone about two feet away from your ear. Even at this distance, his voice was still audible.

"How charming," Luciano hissed. He then gripped your cell and tossed it into a nearby bush.

You nudged him off your shoulder. "Hey, you didn't have to do that," You complained as you reached for the device. "What if the screen cracked?"

He exhaled. " _Please_ , a little leaves and dirt aren't going to crack it. Besides, he was being annoying."

You chuckled. "He's such a dork, it's adorable."

"If that's your taste in men, I pity you." He stepped closer and gently brushed some hair away from your face. His tone softened when he said, "You've got some potential, _bella_. It's a shame that you picked him..." His voice was like silk, his elegant eyes lidded slightly.

"Whatever..." Ignoring his smooth advances, you shifted your attention back to your phone, but Luciano swiftly pressed 'speaker' before you could place it to your ear.

To your surprise, Zao was _still_ talking, as if he hadn't noticed your minute-long absence.

"...Are you okay?" You managed to ask.

"I _collapsed_ in my bathtub, but I think I'll be alright."

You held in a giggle. "Are you at least out of the tub?"

The rippling sounds of water that came from the other line hinted he wasn't. "Nah, I decided to just take a bath to heal my—"

Luciano quickly turned off the speakerphone. "Gross. Is that really how he flirts?"

You laughed, and at that point, Luciano seemed to mind his own business.

Turning away from him, you replied with the phone safely off speaker, "And you just _had_ to tell me this, huh..."

"I wanted you to come help me, maybe play nurse with me, but it seems you're busy running around with Luciano," He huffed. "Is he as much of a lady-killer as people say?"

You snorted. _With that temper of his?_ But then again, Luciano had acknowledged you were "with" Zao, so maybe he hadn't even been trying. No... he _definitely_ hadn't been trying.

"I wouldn't know," You answered. Something told you that this was the right way to respond.

It seemed to satisfy him. "Good; I trust you anyway."

You felt yourself smile. He _hadn't_ actually doubted your loyalty.

"So... wanna ditch that kid and come see me?"

You laughed, and out of the corner of your eye, noticed Luciano signal you to follow him. Mindlessly, you trailed behind him off the center of the sidewalk to a bench where he promptly sat down. As patient as could be, he awaited the end of your phone call. Once you plopped down next to him, you recalled something. "Wait... how did you know I was with Luciano?"

The Italian heard his name, but didn't react much besides smirk and make a 'hmph' sound.

"Your phone picks up on a lot of things, even when it sounds like it's been thrown."

 _Hmm... He must have heard us talking and recognized the Italian accent, knowing full well it couldn't be Flavio since Flavio totally would've greeted him,_ you realized.

"So how 'bout it? Tell Luci to go home and come hang with me."

"I can't do that..." You were grinning.

"Why nottt?~" He was begging now. Something about him pleading you to come visit him was a little cute, in a childish way.

"...Can I bring Luciano?" You asked before you could think it through.

At this, he looked over and tipped his chin at you. "Where?" He silently worded.

"Zao's house," You whispered to him, away from the phone.

"Is Yonsu there?"

You repeated his question into the phone. "He wants to know if Yonsu's there."

"He is."

You nodded at Luciano.

He sprung up. "Let's hit 'em up. Yonsu always has great stuff to give me."

 _...Oh crap,_ you thought to yourself. _What did I just get_ _myself_ _into?_

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

"Eyyyyy!" Yonsu greeted as he opened the door. "Oh... what an odd couple. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've like, never seen you two together before?" Wearing a puzzled expression, he pointed between you and Luciano.

"We've been together before." Luciano answered without a trace of friendliness.

 _Huh, I wonder if that's his way of acknowledging me as his friend..._ you thought to yourself for a moment.

"Eh, whatever. Come on in." He spread the door further and backed away.

"So where's everyone else?" You asked as you casually walked in.

"Kuro, Jin, and Yao aren't here. Old man Yao went to sightsee San Francisco and Jin was the only one who offered to go with him. And Kuro? No one ever knows where he goes," He paused and glanced at Luciano. "Except maybe you, I guess."

Luciano rolled his eyes. "He's probably with Lutz somewhere."

"Well anyway," He stepped closer to him. "I still have that thing I need to give you."

He nodded. "Yeah, that's the only reason I agreed to come."

"But you're friends with Zao though, aren't you?" You couldn't help but ask.

He shrugged, "Not really."

Soon after he was mentioned, Zao strolled out in a black wife-beater tank top and loose black Calvin Klein boxers. He must have recently stepped out of the bathtub because he was still toweling off his hair.

"Shit Zao, would it kill you to put on more clothes?" Luciano complained with a wrinkle of his nose.

Zao flung the towel off his hair and winked at him. "Not when I have muscles like these, little boy." Was it your imagination, or could you see _sparkles_ dancing around him?

Luciano wasn't amused. " _Please_ , you're pale as _hell_. I don't see where you get that confidence from." As if to further his point, Luciano tugged on his collar a bit, as if to show off more of his tanned skin than what was already exposed.

Pale or not, you had to admit Zao looked good. That tight, sleeveless black undershirt did a great job of clinging to his abs and molding to the toned shape of his torso — not to mention his muscled arms stood out and so did his black tattoos.

"I don't see where _you_ get your confidence from in _all those_ clothes," He mentioned as he looked him up and down. "What is that, a vest, a dress shirt, _and_ a tank top underneath? You always look like you belong in the Renaissance, Luci."

"Hah. Thanks for the compliment bastard."

You looked between them, confused. Their argument sounded something like _'Aren't you wearing too little clothes?'_ versus _'Aren't you wearing too_ ** _much_** _clothes?'._ "Do you two not get along or something?"

They both laughed lowly. "Are you _kidding_? I _love_ Luciano."

"That sounded like sarcasm."

"They have sexual tension." Yonsu pointed out.

"They _what?"_

"Don't listen to him. Come on, Yonsu. We have business." Luciano muttered as he walked past him into the hallway.

Once they were gone, Zao slid over to you and smiled. "Sorry I didn't get to greet you properly." Without waiting for a response, he pulled you in for a hug. "Missed you..."

He smelled clean and fresh, like men's body wash. His skin and clothes were still a bit damp from the bath, but his flesh was warm from the hot water he'd used. A few droplets fell from his hair to your chest and you shivered. "Zao, you're getting me wet."

Puzzled, he pulled away from you and replied, "But I haven't done anything yet."

You cracked a smile at his misconception. "Not like _that."_

"Oh," He chuckled. "But I bet I can..." He stepped closer and snaked his arm around the small of your back. With his free hand, he salaciously raised up his tank top to expose his abs, pressing them to your stomach. "Mmm," Slowly, he rose up the hem of your shirt so you felt his smooth abdomen on your bare skin. Every square inch of him felt hot, either due to the bath or his natural flush to this intimate situation.

As if the steamy skin-on-skin contact wasn't enough, he tilted your chin up and sealed his lips over yours.

The sudden kiss caught you off guard and you backed up a bit. You nearly jumped out of your skin when the back of your legs hit the couch and you tumbled over backwards.

Without looking up from the cushions, you heard Zao laughing at you. "Did I surprise you that much, baby?"

"Well, you _did_ attack me..." You playfully mumbled as he placed his hands and knees on the couch and crawled over your body.

"H-Hey..." You lightly protested as he caged you in. "We're not dating, remember? So that means hands off." You made no effort to move away from him.

"But _____..." Hovering above you, he gazed down at your flushed form. He licked his lips and spoke in a lustful tone, "I bet you'd look adorable clinging to the sheets on my bed."

You sighed blissfully. Yonsu and Luciano were still in the house and you both knew it, but that didn't stop the mental images of going into Zao's bedroom together.

He nearly moaned your name as he pressed more kisses to your lips. "_____...," He said in a husky voice that you hardly recognized, "Let's fuck."

"You know..." You began. "You're really hot, but—" You boldly shoved him off.

From the looks of it, he purposefully let you push him all the way off the couch. He landed on the carpet in a way that suggested he knew it was coming. The small giggles that emanated from him proved it. "...Whoa, I _almost_ seduced you."

"Yeah, almost. I'm starting to get immune to your advances and one-liners."

He seemed to get comfortable on the floor. He moved his arms to rest below his head like a pillow as he sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "But this sucks. I'm hard."

"You're...—" You peered down at him. "Really?"

Smirking, he crossed his legs to hide his inevitable erection. "Don't just _look_ at it, you perv."

" _I'm_ the perv?" You laughed a bit. Okay, so maybe it was true – you hadn't always been entirely innocent in his presence.

"I think it's safe to say you've always had a fascination with my dick."

"That's not true..."

"What about the time we were in my room and you felt me up and literally said—"

"- _Okay_ , okay, I remember that. I was just... curious, you know?"

"Are you still curious?"

You simply gazed at him.

He smiled roguishly. "Feel me up again whenever you like, sweetheart. It felt good. _Really_ good."

You started grinning and attempted to hide your face in the couch.

"Hey. That time when you touched me, I swear I might've started drooling."

 _How could I think he'd forget about that?_ "...I can't _believe_ we talk about these things so casually."

"Well," He shrugged. "The more sexual and inappropriate you are with me, the more we'll get along."

"I've _noticed._ _.."_

A beat of silence passed before he nonchalantly suggested, "Wanna make out again?" to which you threw a cushion at him. Laughing softly, he said, "Honestly, you're lucky you got me off you the first time. For future occurrences, always do it before I start grinding."

"How helpful. I'll remember that." You lightheartedly responded.

He yawned, and when you looked at him from over the couch again, he was rubbing his eyes. "You look tired."

"I'll be real with you and admit I don't get much sleep at night."

"Hm? What's that like?"

"Since you came into my life? It's like... I'm livin' a life of constantly being a little bit sleepy and mildly turned on."

"That's not what I—" You gave up and giggled into a pillow. Soon, a new thought came to mind. "Is it weird that I could never imagine you as a virgin?"

"No," He grinned. "But I guess that's my fault." He blew you a lazy kiss.

"So... what did you want to do today?"

"We should like, drop by the red light district."

To your surprise, you weren't completely repulsed by the idea. "For what?"

"I kind of just wanna show you what it's like," He sat up on his elbows and gazed at you, smirking. "So maybe you won't feel as inexperienced compared to me." He teased.

You hurled your last cushion at him, but this time he managed to block it. "So is that a yes or a no, babe?"

At that point, Luciano and Yonsu bounded down the stairs. "Hey _amore_ , I'm done here. Did you still wanna get coffee with me?" Luciano asked as he leaned over the couch you were sprawled on.

"Coffee?" Zao repeated. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the suggestion with, "Go take your class somewhere else, Luciano. Me and ____ are going to the red light district."

"You are? Heh," He crossed his arms and looked down at you. "I might join you then."

"Same," Yonsu said, raising his arm.

"Yonsu, you're not old enough."

"Neither are _you_ , Zao."

He gave a half-laugh. "You know I have connections. And besides, you need to be here when Yao gets home or else he'll get all cranky again."

"Tchh, you _never_ let me come with you anywhere..." He whined as he unwillingly marched back to his room. He reminded you of the little brother type that always wanted to follow his older sibling around.

"Love you!" He called after the sulking Korean. "It's bad enough Luci's coming with us, haha!"  
  
  


** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **   
  
  


Inside Zao's silver Hummer, you were riding shotgun while Luciano sat in the middle of the backseat. "So this place is eighteen and over?" You asked.

"Of course,"

"Then how are we getting in? We're all underage."

"I have my ways, baby."

You pointed to Luciano in the back, "Well how is _he_ getting in?"

In response, he leaned forward and flashed you a fake ID. "What did you think I was getting from Yonsu? That kid makes the best fake identification."

"Fake ID...?" You sighed _. I'll think of this as a learning experience,_ you told yourself.

"Look. Don't be surprised if prostitutes come up to us," Zao warned. "They walk up to everyone, okay?"

"Hah. Thanks for the advice..." At least you knew what to expect.

Glancing out the window, you saw it was getting dark out. _I better not regret this._

"By the way," Zao said. "Change of subject, but there's something else I wanted to tell you."

"Oh, gross. Should I cover my ears?" The Italian snarked.

"Luci, hush. Zao, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, uh, just that I enrolled in school yesterday."

You openly gaped. "You did?!" You hadn't been expecting him to get on that so quickly.

He grinned, but there was some pain hidden in the smile. "Yeah... Yao helped me out with it. Anyway, I'll go to the same school as you."

Luciano leaned forward again – was he even wearing his seat belt? – and cut in, "Seriously? You're coming back to Mission High this year?"

" _That's_ the name of your school?" ... _And my future school,_ you mentally added.

Luciano nodded. "Mission High School. It's a huge, old, creepy campus that was built in 1896 - and some people swear it's haunted."

 _Oh right,_ you recalled. You'd driven by it with your parents and they said it looked like an ancient mansion or church cathedral.

"Yeah. I'm expecting a warm welcome." Zao's voice dripped of sarcasm.

Luciano laughed, but it had a hint of cruelty. "Do you have any idea how much people are gonna start talking the moment they see you walk in the door? I can already hear people whispering _"did you hear Zao's back?"_ in every damn corner of the halls. The teachers are gonna lose their shit and all the students won't shut up about you again – just like fucking freshman year."

"Holy _shit_ ," You said, gawking at Zao. "What did you _do?"_

He was grinning to himself. "I just did my thing. For the record, I was never expelled. Just suspended once in a while. Oh, _god..._ _"_ His grin fell. "I always hated school."

"We know." Luciano rolled his eyes and then added, "Wait. Are you doing this just for her?" He thumb-pointed to your face.

" _Yeah_ ," He kept his eyes on the road, but you could have sworn he started blushing.

So, was this really a big deal for him? Did he have enemies at that school? You'd believed he didn't go to school because he wanted time to do what he needed, not because he despised—

"Hey, _bella principessa_. I hate to admit it, but you better lock up your man before we get back to school." Luciano suggested without a trace of humor. "Let's just say you won't be the only girl at Mission High who _somehow_ thinks Zao is cute."

You weren't sure how to respond. Did a lot of girls like him even there, not just around Chinatown? And did Luciano already know this due to knowledge from when Zao _did_ go to that school?

"What do they even see in you?" He scornfully asked him.

"I don't _know_ what they see in me."

"Okay, it doesn't matter what they see in you. What _don't_ they see in me?"

"...Maybe they think you're too preppy."

"You think I'm _preppy?"_

"You are _so_ preppy; I thought you did it on purpose?"

You thought more about what Luciano said as he and Zao continued their banter all the way to a parking lot.  
  
  


** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **   
  
  


Five minutes later, the three of you were walking down the city's famed red light district.

The sky was dark, but large neon signs lit up like Vegas along both sides of the street. The signs had outlines of erotica, as well as billboard-sized pictures of suggestive women and lewd shop names. Some of the sex-orientated businesses included sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, prostitution and intimate apparel boutiques.

All of the shops had window displays of '18+ only' posters.

"...Well this is new," You mumbled.

You'd only been in the area for about three minutes before you passed by a store's window showing off mannequins in playful lingerie. "Ohhh, look.~" Zao stopped and pointed to a display. "If I bought you those adorable thigh highs and garters, would you wear them?"

You looked. _Oh, gosh_. He was pointing to the stockings decorated with cartoonish kitty faces. "...Those are actually kind of cute." Garter belts had always looked fun to wear, too.

"I could see her better in these." Luciano suggested, pointing to the transparent lingerie with lace and ribbons.

"Hey, we're _not_ here to shop for me..." You grumbled with a hint of embarrassment.

"Then what _are_ you two here for?"

You shrugged, and Luciano eyed a different store. "Whatever. I'll be in there if you need me." Without waiting for a response, he strutted into a nearby shop, leaving you and Zao alone.

When you turned to him, you found him checking out the window display some more. He pointed at a shelf with ropes, chains, handcuffs, and blindfolds. "Hey, _____, look. Bondage." He looked you right in the eye and grinned cheekily.

You laughed a bit and joined him at the window, scanning the whole set out. "...Holy _crap_ , is it weird that I don't even know what some of this is?"

He chuckled lowly, and you regretted admitting that. "Definitely not; you're such a precious little virgin."

"Pfff. Shut up." It'd almost sounded like he was baiting you, anyway.

But seriously, what _was_ some of this? "Like, this thing." You pointed to what appeared to be a small black belt with a bright red ball in place of the buckle. "What is it even supposed to be?"

"Oh, that's a ball gag."

"A _what?"_

"It's in the BDSM department, mostly used for bondage roleplay. You know how when people are blindfolded, they're usually gagged too, so they can't speak? That's what the belt is for. The ball goes into their mouth as a gag."

"Um, gross."

"I know, right? I've never been into humiliation."

He scooted over to the other side of the window and beckoned you over. " _Anyways_. I wasn't kidding about the thigh highs." He flashed his wallet and smiled innocently. "I'll buy them for you if you promise to wear them for me."

You followed him and peeked at the thigh highs again. Honestly, you wanted to turn down the offer _only_ because of the price tag on those stockings, rather than the enticing idea of wearing them in front of him. "Thanks, but you don't have to."

"I'll buy you the matching panties and garter belt too, if you want..."

You laughed. "Hah, no way. Like I said, we're not here to shop for me."

"Alrighty. For your birthday then."

You sighed, but smiled nonetheless. There was no easy way to make him back down.

Suddenly, the shop's door swung open and a tall, voluptuous platinum-blonde stepped out. "Hey, you two. Quit standing outside my store and come buy something already." She glared right at Zao with her thin, sharp, intimidating rose-red eyes.

He simply laughed and cooed at her, "Such a sweet businesswoman as always, Yekaterina."

Scowling, she announced, "Zao Wang. Bold of you to show your face around here. I haven't seen you in forever – I was hoping it'd _stay_ that way." She crossed her arms and stood in an annoyed stance.

Damn, was she sassy. From her hostility, it was easy to tell she either didn't like Zao or didn't like anyone. Based off the way she was dressed, she really did look like a businesswoman – but a dark, tyrannical one at that.

"I didn't know you ran this store. How many d'you got now, three?" He chuckled. "You plotting to steal my throne?"

"Any day now." She was all-serious. Everything about her gave off a strict, no-nonsense aura.

"...Isn't she just a ray of sunshine?" He nonchalantly asked you, pointing to Yekaterina.

She sighed and ran a hand through her chin-length hair. "I don't have time for this." Without another word, she turned and made a step back toward the door.

"And tell your brother I said he could go fuck himself!" Zao playfully called out to her retreating back.

She held up a hand without turning around, monotonously replying, "I will."

Once she was gone, a connection clicked in your mind.

 _Yekaterina's brother._ She sounded Russian, and you'd heard Ion was too — who was the guy Zao apparently despised. Meaning, this was probably his sister, the girl who distracted Allen while he was doing parkour with Zao, which caused him to drop him, which caused him to land in the hospital all those weeks ago. Not to mention Zao had stolen Ion's wallet on the day you first met him.

"...I'm guessing you're not a fan of Russians?" You teasingly asked him a moment later.

"Yeah. Especially not _those_ Russians. Or Ukrainians, whatever it is Yekaterina calls herself."

"Hehe. I've heard you guys talk about Yekaterina a lot though, honestly."

 _"Me?"_ He looked genuinely insulted.

"Maybe not you, but the other guys, like Allen and Lutz."

"Oh, yeah. They like her for her huge tits, even though she's a total bitch."

" _Hey_ , that's not nice," You lightly scolded, tapping the brim of his hat to slide over his eyes. "She can't be that cold _all_ the time."

"Well she is to me; she hates me. Also, she tries to act like 'the successful business owner' around here, and _looks down_ on everyone else, rather than support the other local shops. Plus... I'm not a fan of her style."

"Her style? Why n—" You stopped yourself. She'd been in a so-called business suit, but it was very revealing. A maroon mini skirt that accentuated her curves and a matching maroon blazer that was left half-unbuttoned to spill out her huge chest. "Okay, never mind." As a second thought, you added, "But she was really pretty."

He looked incredulous. " _That's_ what you thought of her?"

"I don't know, she seemed... cool, I guess."

"...Please don't be her friend."

"Why not?" You almost wanted to laugh.

" _Anyone_ but her. I know you're looking for a friend that's a girl – since all your friends here so far are guys – but please," He clasped your hands in his and begged, "Not Yekaterina."

 _I don't think she'd let me be her friend anyway,_ you thought. "Fine. But it'd be nice to have a girl-friend around here."

"That's what you've got Flavio and Oliver for."

You giggled. "Well, you're not wrong."

"So, anyways," He turned to face the street. "Wanna go into one of these shops?"

You didn't hesitate before asking, "Can we go into Yekaterina's?"

He threw his head back and groaned childishly.

You laughed at his dismayed reaction. "Please? It's the only one that looks interesting to me." It seemed like the only decent shop targeted towards women. Plus, it appeared to have fun costumes inside, ranging from tutus to suspenders to lacy stockings.

"Fine, but only if we avoid confrontation with her...," He grumbled. "She always looks like she wants to bite my head off."

Inside the store felt like a naughty costume mansion. Everything here looked appealing and high-quality. Yekaterina seemed to have great taste.

Five minutes later, you were seriously contemplating on getting a pair of thigh highs. They were all so pretty and tempting, after all.

The whole time, Zao had been following you around. As you kneeled by a rack, you heard him say from behind you, "Yoooo, check _these_ out."

You turned around to see him pointing to a male stripper section.

"Oh my _god_ ," You stood up and half-gaped, half-laughed. "Of _course_ you just had to find those."

"Dare me to try on an outfit?"

"Not unless you want her eyes to bleed out," Yekaterina commented without emotion as she sauntered by. She seemed to be carrying a box of colorful condoms to re-stock the front counter.

"Awwh, you're so _mean_ , Kat..." He whined, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Tch. You deserve it, little boy." She said the last two words like 'leedle boi' due to her thick accent.

You heard some snickering from nearby strangers. "I love when the King and Queen interact with each other," One of them said.

_King and Queen...?_

Yekaterina sighed bitterly. "Ahh, yes, that is I; Queen of the red light district. That is, until I crush the King beneath my six-inch stiletto," She smirked at Zao. "-and become Goddess."

 _King and Queen of the red_ _light district._ No wonder they knew each other. You briefly recalled what you heard Zao tell Allen on the first day you met him - _"I'm King of the red_ _light district and you know it!"_

"...So can I try on the outfits or nah?"

"As long as you don't taint them."

"Hah! Thanks Kat.~" He then turned to you. "Which do you want me to put on first?"

"I never agreed..." You tried not to imagine him in a stripper outfit.

Keyword: _tried_.

You had to admit he'd look damn good in anything on display. With his muscles, tattoos, perfect skin, alluring smile _... Crap, am I blushing?_

'Paint it Black' by the Rolling Stones played from the store's speakers as Zao tugged out a random costume. "I'll surprise you then, _bǎobèi.~_ " He glided into the dressing room, making sure to give you a flirty wink just seconds before closing the glittery pink curtain.

You quietly stared in shock. In minutes, he'll be stepping out of that in a male stripper outfit. _Holy_ ** _shit_** _, how did this even happ—_

"You poor, poor unfortunate soul."

You squeaked at the sudden voice. Seeing no one close by, you whipped around to find Yekaterina standing behind you.

Her expression was unreadable. "I'm not sure what he's doing with you, but as long as you're having fun... then who gives a shit, right?"

You swallowed. "Um, right."

She smiled, but you couldn't tell if it was forced or genuine. "Stay in control, Ангел."

Although minimal, her advice was worthy enough to keep in mind. "Yeah, thanks." You smiled back at her.

She nodded once, and then spun on her heel to walk back to her station.

Your phone suddenly buzzed with a text. _Be home before eleven,_ your mom said.

As you typed a reply, you felt a tap on your shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss. You're under arrest for heart theft."

You looked up.

And nearly dropped your phone.

"...A _police officer?!_ Really?"

Zao wasn't wearing many clothes, but from the bits he had on, it was easy to tell he was supposed to be some type of sexy cop.

And a _sexy cop_ he was.

His shirtless torso revealed his sculpted abs, toned arms, and several black tattoos. He was sporting a pair of dark Aviators and had replaced his military cap with a black police hat. A matching gun holster was strapped to his upper arm and a shoulder band displayed his gold badge, police rank insignia, and a mini American flag. His black slacks were riding low on his waist and showed off the large Calvin Klein logo on his boxer's waistband.

"C-Could you get any more ironic..." You muttered. Truth was, you couldn't get your eyes off him and you had no idea what to say in this situation.

"It was perfect; I had to.~" He stretched his arms up, causing his muscles to tighten. He sure seemed to be drinking in your attention. It was obvious by the way he kept watching your face and grinning with self-satisfaction.

"Maybe you should arrest yourself for drug possession. Can I touch?" Without waiting for permission to be granted, you firmly planted your palm on his abs and stroked him upward.

He flinched. "W-Whoa..."

 _He's so cute._ "Oh, captain of the police department, I have a druggie back in Chinatown that you need to arrest.~"

"S-Stop, I'll get a boner." His face was already a nice shade of pink.

You continued to feel up his six-pack until he coughed and pulled away, " _Excuse_ you, but that is sexual harassment." He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and spun them on his finger.

"No way, are those real?"

He sniggered. "They look pretty real, don't they?"

You burst into giggles at that point. You were in a sexualized costume mansion with a sort-of-boyfriend-but-not-really that was dressed as a stripper and trying _so hard_ to seduce you in it. When it came down to it, the whole situation was pretty hilarious.

"Okay, okay, I get it – the sexy cop didn't work. Lemme try again!" He eagerly ran back into the dressing room before you could protest.

"Zao-!" You would've tried to stop him, but it wouldn't have worked anyway.

A couple minutes later, the curtain pushed back once more.

_Oh, god, what could he be now?_

The cop thing was funny and all – since drug dealers naturally avoid the police at all costs – but perhaps this costume would have a bit more personal flair to it.

You regretted thinking about the 'personal flair' once you saw him step out.

 _"Nyaa?"_ He held up his hands like paws and tilted his cat-eared head at you.

"Oh my god," You covered your face with your hands and squealed, " _You're a fucking cat."_

The black cat ears looked a little too real and blended perfectly into his dark hair. He was shirtless again, and he was wearing a red collar around his neck with an attached little bell. Holding up his black leather pants were suspenders with a paw print design. To finish the look, he was wearing a fluffy cat tail.

 _This_ look worked for him. He looked so fucking adorable that you could just _eat him._

"You like?" He sashayed over to you and pulled you in close. Happy little mewls emanated from him as he nuzzled your neck, licking and nipping at your skin.

You relaxed into his touch. "Mmm..." The licks and little bites evolved into sucking, which resulted in a love bite over your throat. "Pet me, mistress.~"

You giggled and ran your hand through his soft hair, lightly brushing over the material of his cat ears.

You could _feel_ him purring. Not only that, but you felt him back you into a nearby wall.

 _Whoa..._ you blushed when you felt the tight leather of his pants rub against your waist. When you looked down, you could see that they were low enough on his hips to show the sexy V-shaped muscles that led down shortly below the waistband.

"This kitty is feeling naughty.~" With a sly smile on his lips, he gripped your palms and placed them on his bare chest.

Your hands shook. Your breathing had gone uneven and you felt warm all over. _Well, he succeeded on what he'd been trying to do._

He found your lips and kissed you hungrily. _He_ was the one in control, and you were the mess.

His mouth opened and he sensuously ran his tongue across your bottom lip, slowly prying it open for entrance.

Your lips parted and his warm, wet tongue curled around your own. Getting more into it, you wrapped your arms around his neck and let out a quiet moan. As he kept your mouth busy, he pushed your body harder against the wall and lifted your legs to wrap around his strong hips.

 _...I could get used to this._ Every moment felt like pure bliss. He knew how to work that mouth of his and the rolling of his hips against yours made it feel even hotter. _Except_...

You weren't sure how long you made out with him like that, but it was cut short all too soon.

As you'd expected, you heard Yekaterina's voice irritably call out, "If you two are just going to screw around, then get the hell out."

Giggling devilishly, you and Zao untangled yourselves from each other. He scurried back into the dressing room, and minutes later you two were running out of the shop to escape more of Yekaterina's scolding.

" _That_ was hardly satisfying..." Zao complained as you two walked along the sidewalk. In his hurry to change, he'd left the store with his vest undone and belt loose.

"That's what you get for seducing me in the costume mansion of your arch rival."

"Tch, she _wishes_ she was my rival." A beat later, he added, "Wait... you just admitted my act of seduction worked," He stopped walking and threw a fist in the air. "S _core!"_

Grinning at his antics, you pushed him nearly off the sidewalk. "You're a huge dork," As you looked over his disheveled clothes, you noticed he was carrying a black plastic bag. "What's that?"

He smiled and held it up. "I also bought you something."

"What?" He handed it over and you checked its contents.

_No way._

_It's the stockings, garters, and matching underwear...!_

"I-I didn't see you pay for these!"

"No worries. I left the money by the cash register. Enough for a nice tip, too. Kat should thank me."

Heart racing, you peeked into the bag again. You were excited to try them on, but not anytime in front of Zao.

"Hey, let's go in here." Feeling dazed, you followed him into the next store while still looking at the intimate gifts.

You stopped walking when you saw Zao talking to the person supposedly checking for ID.

"What's up buddy?" He turned and grabbed you by the arm. "This is my—" He paused. "...friend, _____. We're just gonna have a look around."

He greeted him and quietly muttered something like '...gets away with everything'.

Once inside, you realized this was a _literal_ sex shop. "Uh, did we really have to come in here?"

"I thought it looked fun." He strolled into a random aisle and you followed his lead. "See anything you like?"

You let out a sarcastic half-laugh. "Why would I? This place is full of weird kinks," You pointed to the glass case of sparkly neon dildos. "What girl would want those?"

"...So you'd rather have something more natural-looking?"

You stared at him with an _I'm-not-answering-that-are-you-crazy?_ look.

He laughed and held up his hands in a 'not guilty' gesture. "Just a question. Besides, you don't need those. You have me."

You felt your cheeks warm up at his implication. "You know... we talk about sex a lot for two people who aren't in a relationship." You weren't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Damn, if that's not progress, then I don't know what is."

You jumped at the sudden voice that came from behind you. Whirling around, you saw it was Luciano who'd said that. "When did you get here?"

"Don't worry; we've only just arrived." A different voice responded.

You whipped around in the opposite direction to find Kuro on your other side. "...Has anyone ever told you that you're really like a ninja?"

"Kuro!~" Zao sprang to his side and cheerily hugged him, to which the Japanese simply stood there – arms limp at his sides – either oblivious or uncaring to the affection.

"I found him in that weird anime section..." Luciano lowly announced.

Meanwhile, you gawked at the two Asians. Zao was cooing and nuzzling into Kuro's neck, while Kuro just ignored him, looking coolly disinterested. Still, you could practically see fluttering hearts dancing around them. _What is going on here?_ "...How in the world do you two live together?"

"More importantly," Luciano cut in, "Where'd that big dumb German go?"

"At the register." Kuro pointed to the front of the store where you saw Lutz look over and wave.

A few minutes later, he joined the group. "WHAT'S UP FUCKS?" He jumped right into the group and put one arm around you and the other around Luciano.

The Italian shrugged him off. "Nothing," As if he recalled something sinister, he added, "Did I ever tell you I got a new car? It's way nicer than Allen's stupid Jeep."

"No way, what brand?"

"A red Maserati."

"Dude, _nice_." Lutz and Zao said at the same time.

"I know," He smirked proudly.

"Speaking of Allen. Have any of you heard about his brother?" Kuro inquired with a bored tone.

"'Brother'?" You repeated.

"Matty? _No_ , what's up?!" Lutz was immediately interested.

"I'm not gonna like this..." Luciano spat with a look of disgust.

Kuro chuckled darkly before answering, "You mean you haven't heard Matt is back in town?"

 _"What?"_ Lutz basically shouted.

Luciano furiously crossed his arms. _"Oh_ _mio Dio._ Here we go again."

"Hold up. _Brother?"_ You repeated with an expression of disbelief.

Kuro fixed you with a coldly emotionless look. "Allen's one-year-younger brother, Mathieu. They call him Matt."

Your jaw dropped. "...Allen has a _brother?!"_ No matter how many times they said it, it would take at least several minutes for you to process the fact that _Allen had a brother he_ ** _never_** _told you about_. "Y-You mean like, stepbrother or half-brother, right? Not actual, flesh-and-blood brother he never cared to talk about...?" You truly hoped it was nothing significant. You'd thought you were close with Allen - how could he not tell you otherwise?

They were all quiet for a moment until Lutz broke the silence with, "Nope, they're full-blooded kin. But I gotta say, with how long they've been fighting, I wouldn't be surprised if Al pretended Matty didn't exist."

"And with that stupid brother off in boarding school in _Canada_ , I don't think it'd be difficult." Luciano added.

"Whoa, hey," You pointed at the feisty Italian. "Do you have a problem with Allen's brother?"

"Hah. Shouldn't be too shocking, since I have a _huge_ problem with Allen."

Lutz playfully nudged your shoulder. "No worries, _Schatz_. Luci has a problem with everyone."

As they all started talking again – most likely about Allen's brother who was back home from boarding school, apparently – you began to hear other people in the store chatting as well. Of course, the news was already spreading like wildfire. _"Did you hear Matt's back in town?!"_ was already audible in the next aisle over. You were left wondering if this guy was either infamous or if everyone _literally_ knew everyone in this district.

And if he and Allen had been in a long-term argument during his absence, you could only worry about what lie ahead for them.

"Hey... you've been quiet. Are you okay?" You said to Zao. He'd been out of the circle and looked a little pale.

He smiled weakly at you. "I guess."

You saw right through him. "What's bothering you? Is it about Matt?"

He sighed. "Well, uh... hm. Let's just say shit's about to hit the fan."

Your eyes widened a bit. "Why? What's going to happen?"

"Pointless drama, that's what. Matt and Allen have the most vicious fights ever. I mean, they rarely argue like this, but they've been mad at each other and haven't talked all summer." His somber red eyes shifted to the ground in worry. "Something pretty bad happened a couple months ago. Allen's the prideful type who can hold a grudge forever, and Matt's the one with a serious temper. I don't know how they're gonna get over this one."

"Sounds like they desperately need some communication skills."

"I... have a feeling things are gonna get so much worse."

You'd never seen him look this concerned. Perhaps he had ties to this war. "...Are you involved?"

He laughed without humor. "Let's just go with: If it's about Allen, then I'm always involved."

This felt too much like a catalyst for trouble.

You'd always thought your friends here in Chinatown got along. Sure, they had some petty arguments and teasing, especially in Luciano's case, but you'd always figured they still loved each other like brothers.

Did these two _real_ brothers actually have something terrible ahead?

If you knew anything, it was that summer was about to hit something hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this fic could've made a decent dating sim. like. zao, allen, luciano, lutz & kuro could've totally been romanceable


	18. His Heart is Breakable

"Has anyone ever told you that you could totally model for Abercrombie & Fitch?" You asked as you and Allen passed by the floor-to-ceiling A&F wall that featured a black-and-white photograph of a gorgeous male with a six-pack lying on a beach.

"...You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Hey, I was only giving you a compliment; no need to make it weird."

You two were currently at the Westfield San Francisco Centre, otherwise known as one of the best shopping malls in the country. It had _nine floors_ and looked something like a modern-day palace. It was a dome-covered atrium with sleek gold-and-white architecture and spiral escalators that looked hypnotizing from the top story. With its sparkling chandeliers, stunning water fountains, and elaborate glass ceilings, the place felt more like a castle than a mall.

'My House' by Flo Rida was playing through the center's speakers as you and Allen walked down the sixth level. "So... look. I've been trying to make you feel better, but it doesn't seem to be working. Can you just tell me already, Al?"

The truth was, he'd been sulking all afternoon – you'd thought a mall trip would help him get over it, but he was still brooding. Not even the appreciative glances at him from random girls at the mall made him crack a smile. Hell, not even your 'A&F model' comment changed anything. His response had been flirtatious by default, but devoid of emotion. How did he manage to do that, anyway?

More importantly, you'd suggested this place to get him out of Chinatown. Every adolescent in the district was talking about Matt's return by now. Apparently that was the source of Allen's bitterness lately. Why? You still didn't know.

You guessed some of it had to do with Oliver's and Flavio's announcement earlier today. They'd told everyone that they were throwing a 'welcome-home' party for Matt, but that it was going to be at Francois's house. _Tonight_.

Obviously, Allen wasn't on good terms with his brother. You'd only recently found out that he _had_ a brother, and that he was back home from boot camp in Canada.

The news had only put Allen in a permanent bad mood. He hadn't seen Matt at all since he stepped off the plane from Quebec to San Francisco; the 'fake Canadian' as Allen had called him, was rooming with Francois, whose parents lived in France. Meaning they had a condo to themselves. Meaning the party there was bound to get wild. You were extra sure of this because that _one time_ you'd met Francois (at Allen's house, actually), the first thing he'd asked you was if there was any alcohol there. Red flag, much? It didn't help that everyone there would be underage-drinking.

"Pretty sure I made it obvious, doll. I don't wanna see him."

_He doesn't want to see him, but all of our friends will be expecting him at the party,_ you thought. "You know... you don't have to go, if you really don't want to. I'm totally fine with staying home with you." _Our friends would question less if neither of us went_. Plus, there was the fact that you didn't really want to go anyway.

Allen suddenly ducked into a sports shop, perhaps to avoid that conversation. You sighed and side-stepped in to follow him. "Look... I get it if you really don't want to talk. But, hey... I'm one of your best friends. You can't keep this all inside. If you should tell anyone, it should be me."

He stopped in a random aisle and groaned. "... _Alright_ , fine. You've been at this all damn day. If you want answers, then whatever."

You held in a breath. He'd finally cracked. He was going to tell you what _the hell_ was actually going on.

His teeth were slightly clenched, and he eyed the rows of baseball bats hanging from the racks. Letting out a deep breath, he snatched one and furiously made a practice swing — thankfully at a far enough distance from you and the other shelves. _Well, that's a decent outlet for his anger._

"...I used to have a girlfriend. Matt stole her from me."

He swung again.

Your lips parted in shock. Before you could speak, he continued: "He dumped her not long after he took her from me. I was over her, but not over the _fucking betrayal_. He never even told me why he did it. C'mon, _____, you can't tell me that wasn't a shitty thing to do." His voice lowered to a hate-filled snarl, "He's my own _brother_ and he went behind my back to screw with my girlfriend," He swung a third time, his expression contorted with fury. "He could go get mauled by wild bears and I still wouldn't give a shit."

_...His heart was torn to pieces,_ you realized. _Not by losing his girlfriend, but by his own brother's betrayal._ Allen was cut deep inside. He wasn't one to show weakness, so he resorted to expressing rage rather than hurt feelings.

"I understand now. Should we just stay home together?"

"No," His voice was cold and gravelly. He dropped the bat with a steel thud. "I'm going. I have to show that asshole that he can't affect me like that."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

If walking into a raging party escorted by a tall, tanned, well-built guy like Allen didn't make you feel special, then you didn't know what did.

As soon as the two of you stepped inside, people were sneaking conspicuous glances at him and curious looks at you as well. You couldn't tell if they were either checking out Allen or simply gossiping over what kind of drama could go down now that he and Matt were under the same roof.

Allen's current expression read _stay-the-fuck-outta-my-face,_ so you were still wary on why he'd decided to come.

It wasn't that late yet, but the party was already in full swing. _I guess that's what happens when a recent high school graduate throws a party in a condo his parents don't live in,_ you thought. Flavio and Oliver had done a tasteful job in decorating, hip-hop was blasting through the large surround-sound speakers, and you didn't even want to think about what was inside all those silver kegerators.

To make it worse, the place was pretty crowded with animalistic teenagers. Some were even dancing on the _tables_ already, for fuck's sake. "It's pretty wild here," You noted. This was _nothing_ like that get-together at Allen's house when Zao was released from the hospital – and frankly, that was all you were used to.

"You two made it!~" Oliver crooned as he skipped over with a troubled dirty-blonde in tow.

Something about the way Allen tensed up told you that the dirty-blonde in red plaid was Matt.

He was being dragged over by Oliver's hand around his wrist, and you didn't miss the way he tried to stop walking and turn around once Oliver got over to you and Allen. "Good evening, friends! In all honesty, Flavio and I were worried you would not show up... But we're ever so glad you did! Miss _____, this is Matt," He giddily gestured to your best friend's brother. "And Matty, this is _____. She's only moved here this summer, but we already adore her to bits and pieces!~"

From the looks of it, Matt didn't seem too thrilled to be here. Either the insane party wasn't his thing or he was as displeased to see Allen as Allen was to see him. Overall, he looked bored with his own party. Maybe he hadn't even wanted or expected one; perhaps all of his friends just wanted an excuse to party.

He stared at you wordlessly. His scrutiny was uncomfortable but you didn't flinch. What could be going on in his mind? Was he judging you? Thinking? About _what?_

Finally, he said, "Why are you _really_ here?"

He must have thought you weren't the type of person to be at this kind of place. He was right, if that was the case. Some months ago, you never would have believed you'd be at high school party filled with loud music and underage drinking.

"Like Oliver said, I'm friends with a lot of the people you know." _He's probably wondering how a girl like me became such good friends with a group like his during the minimal amount of time he was gone._ Your friends here weren't what you'd ever expect; before you moved here, even _you_ wouldn't have believed you'd be in with this crowd. _I can't believe how much my life has changed_ , you suddenly thought.

"Not to mention she's something like Zao's girlfriend." Oliver added in with an innocent smile.

The word 'girlfriend' caused a shift in Matt's hard expression. His cold glare flickered from Allen to you. "...Then why are you with Allen?"

"Uh, does it matter?" He growled back. "It's not like I'd purposely steal her away or some shit." _-Like you did to me_ , you could almost hear him accuse.

The tension between them rose higher. Oliver nervously looked between them. His panicked expression told you he'd brought them together hoping they'd forget their lame fight and just make up, but that obviously wasn't the case. "I-I'm going to get some drinks. _____, would you like to accompany me?"

He'd probably thought they needed their space, but one thing was on your mind – what if they got into an actual fight? Who here would stop them? No one here seemed reliable; everyone within a five foot radius looked like they'd _encourage_ the fight more than anything else.

"No," Allen lowly told him. "She can stay."

Oliver didn't question him, then regretfully backed into a different room.

A moment of silence stretched on as the brothers glowered at each other. Eventually, Matt said, "...If you're talking about Amelia, then you need to get over it."

_"Get over it?_ Yeah, says the douchebag who took her from me."

"You said you didn't like her anymore."

"That's not the _fucking_ point," Allen spat. "It's about my own brother going behind my back to fuck my girlfriend! You think I can forgive that shit?!"

"I didn't ask for your forgiveness."

Allen's fists clenched at his sides.

_This is bad_. Why are they doing this?

"Hah. You really piss me off, Matty." Allen looked at the ground and laughed without humor. "And I thought _you_ were the one who held grudges. Aren't you supposed to know how this shit feels?"

He didn't answer.

"...Why did you do it?" You spoke before you could stop yourself.

Matt remained silent, tense.

Allen waited.

"...You're fuckin' pathetic, bro." You'd never heard Allen's voice sound crueler.

By now, Matt's teeth were clenched in rising fury. The second one of them made a sudden movement, you were sure they'd get into a fist-fight right here, right now.

"...She isn't worth it." You once again blurted.

Matt threw you a look that told you he saw you as insignificant. "What?"

"You and – what was her name – Amelia, broke up didn't you? So why are you allowing your own flesh-and-blood brother to hate you like this? Just admit you made a mistake and say sorry."

"Matty can't do that," Allen mocked. "Matty has never been able to say sorry. Can never admit when he's wrong. It's one of the things that always made me wanna beat the crap outta him."

"Mathieu. Is that your name?" You cautiously stepped closer to him, but he gave you another dirty look.

"Why do you care? You don't know us."

"Mathieu, I know your brother. I know him well enough to see he doesn't want to keep fighting. I bet even you know you'll eventually make up with him; it's only a matter of time. You're just going to make things worse if you don't take the responsibility for this."

He appeared to be listening – albeit with extreme annoyance – so you continued, "This whole fight was never Allen's fault and you know it. You also know you can fix it, too. Is your pride really worth more than your own brother?"

"Just shut up." Stressfully, he ran a hand through his overgrown, wavy blonde hair.

"Don't tell her to shut up," Allen shot back. "...Only I can do that."

"You know what only _I_ can do?" Matt paused. There was a heavy moment that hung there, waiting for what could mark whether your interference had either helped or worsened everything. "...Only _I_ can do the stupidest shit and you'll still love me like the fucking idiot you are."

Allen was quiet for several moments. "...Guess how much I hate you?"

They both broke into tired grins.

"Enough to push me off a cliff," Matt responded, pinching the bridge of his nose in what appeared to be overwhelming relief.

"And into oncoming traffic," Allen continued.

"Chained up and beaten with a baseball bat."

"One with iron nails and your blood on it."

"Alright, alright... and what else, Mr. Serial Killer?"

"With a knife in your back to pay for mine."

Matt gave him a lazy smile. "I can accept that."

Their morbid humor was enough to make you cringe, but at least they were laughing and smiling at each other again.

"Okay, best bros again?" You grabbed each of their shoulders and smushed them together. "Matt, I'll have you know Allen's my best friend." You tugged on his messy ponytail and warned, "And I won't let you treat him like that ever again. You hear me?! Besides that, it was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, preacher."

Allen chuckled. "Uh, thanks doll. You can, like, go get those drinks now."

You laughed quietly. That was your cue to leave.

So, as you slowly sauntered backwards, you watched them go outside to talk and maybe catch up. By the way Allen's arm was still around Matt's shoulders, you could tell he's missed him.

Clearly, walking backwards in an untamed high school party was not a smart thing to do. Within a few steps, your back had met someone's chest. "Oh, sorry." You turned around to face the person, even if they might not be there anymore.

"Are they cool again?" Lutz towered over you, his gaze locked on Matt and Allen. He was leaning against a wall with a red plastic cup in his hand.

"Oh, yeah."

He chuckled. "Well, I'll be damned. You sure bring out the best in Allen."

"Really...?"

"Yup. And, uh..." He smirked, "You know he likes you, right?"

You froze up for a moment. "...What? I-I mean... of course he doesn't. We're just really good friends."

"Pffft, c'mon _Schatz_ , don't tell me you're really that oblivious!"

"I'm not sure what we're talking about, but whatever it is-" Luciano began as he and Kuro turned the corner to join you and Lutz, "-You're probably right for once. She's pretty ditzy."

"I'm not ditz-" You were about to deny his insult, but when it came to his street-smarts and yours, you definitely had the shorter straw.

"Heh...," Kuro smirked at you and looked like he was about to say something vicious until you held a finger in front of his face.

"Don't even say anything, you bully."

"Don't feel bad, _bella_ ," Luciano said in that smooth voice of his. "Lutz isn't too bright either. So what was he talking about to make him criticize you like that?"

"Hah, all's I said is that she can't be oblivious enough not to notice Al's got a thing for her." He casually answered before taking a swig of his beer.

"Oh. Well, you aren't, are you?" The Italian looked to you for confirmation.

Your gaze travelled from Lutz to Luciano. _They didn't even seem to be joking in the slightest_. "...Oh come on you guys. Stop."

"Don't get sassy," Luci teased.

"It could be her defense mechanism," Kuro blankly stated. "She's started blushing."

"I am _not_. And Allen doesn't like me..."

"Modest. How adorable.~" Lutz patted your head like a pet.

"Pshh, I'd deny it too if I were her," Luciano's smile wasn't friendly. "Someone like _Allen_ being into you? I almost feel sorry for you."

"The American is rather insistent." Kuro monotonously added.

_I won't tolerate this,_ you thought. You faced them head-on and shot back with an incredulous look, "You know who _else_ is insistent? _Zao_. My boyfriend."

Your voice had nearly cracked at 'boyfriend'. Damn, did it feel awkward and unnatural to say that — especially while talking about Zao. He wasn't your boyfriend, but he basically _was_ , at the same time. Either way, you knew for a fact that he'd be thrilled to hear you say that. _Too bad the bastard isn't here,_ you thought with a mental pout.

"'Boyfriend'. _Sure_." Luciano nonchalantly teased with a wave of his hand and a relaxed look on his face.

"Ughh..." You covered your face with your hands and quietly whined, "You guys are so mean to me..."

"You love us," Lutz said with a smug expression.

"Okay, like, _bye_." You took the chance to hang out with someone else when you saw Yekaterina sashay into the room.

_I hope I don't regret this..._ You thought as you summoned your courage to go say hello to a queen.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

An hour later, you were sitting on the couch with Yekaterina. Her long, smooth, curvy legs were sprawled across your lap, but you didn't mind. She was relaxing with her head on the armrest, a bottle of vodka in her hand. "I swear it... if Ion doesn't come to the next party to take care of me, I'm gonna kick him outta the house," She slurred. "OH... not that I mind you doin' the job, babe. It's just... _hah_ -" She let out a short high-pitched laugh, "That little bro o'mine has had his boxers in a bunch since he was a kid."

Needless to say, just an hour ago, Yekaterina hadn't been pleased to hang out with you. But that was when she was sober and mean. She didn't mind as much when you told her you didn't know any other girls in the district. In fact, something about you may have charmed her after that, because only a couple drinks later, she was actually _telling_ you to follow her around. She'd called you an 'entourage' once or twice, but you'd figured it was one of her eccentric quirks.

"Ангел, do you have a boyfriend?" She asked out of nowhere. "Because I know a boy or two I could hook you up with.~ What're you into? The quiet and uptight ones? If that's the case, then please, _please_ take my damn brother. Ion seriously needs to get laid."

"Haha, no, it's okay. But uh, thanks I guess?" _Zao would have my head if he even saw me with Yekaterina..._

"Ohhhh, that's right. Zao Wang, huh?" She stuck out her tongue in exaggerated disgust. "Yuck. Why him?"

"He's..." _Oh god, where to even begin?_ "Actually, have you seen him?" You changed the subject for more reasons than one. First off, you hadn't seen him yet. Was he even coming to the party?

"No, but he'll show up eventually. Always does."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

A few streets over, in a bedroom decorated with Chinese banners, swords on the walls, and a red panda plushie on the nightstand, Zao spun around on his desk chair. (His legs were pulled up and everything.) Half-bored and half-contemplative, he pondered if he should go to the party tonight or not. "Ughh..." He'd never told anyone he was going.

Besides, he was getting sick of these stupid high school parties. During his time in America, he'd gone to _countless_ parties. High school parties, college parties, drug parties, raves... _hell_ , he's even witnessed an orgy before. (It wasn't fun.)

Instead, he thought about how he just wanted to slow down and kick back with you. Who needed _other people?_ Not him. You were the only person he cared to see these days.

Arctic Monkeys was playing softly from his speakers – and it was a song that eerily matched how he felt about you this evening. _"Stop the world 'cause I wanna get off with you..."_ He quietly sang along.

He set his legs down from the spinny chair because damn, he was getting dizzy.

Or maybe it was just a result from thinking about you.

With that thought, he decided he was going to the party after all. He clearly couldn't stop thinking about you – and even if that was normal for him – he wanted to see you more than anything and he knew damn well you'd be at that lame party.

He knew he had to deal with seeing people he didn't like. Example? Those individuals that threw themselves at him for either drugs or sex with no regards to how he felt about it. He used to not mind them all that much, but everything changed when he met you.

Half an hour later, he showed up late with Yonsu by his side.

The kid wanted to follow him everywhere he went and just for tonight, he didn't really care. This was the first time he'd brought him to a party and so the Korean was embarrassingly excited about it. "Does this mean I can have all the cuties you don't want?"

"Trust me," He said as they walked in the front door, "You don't want them."

"You don't know that. Aren't they _hot?"_

"They'll want you because of all the drugs they know you've got."

"That's..." He sighed and rolled his pale green eyes. "Shut up."

Only a few minutes after coming in, Zao caught sight of you walking out the back door towards Allen, who was on a hammock in the patio. "Catch ya later!" He quickly ditched Yonsu right as his interest was caught on a group of attractive cigarette-smokers.

"See you, _hyung_..."

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

  
After you'd entrusted Yekaterina's care to Flavio (who'd ever-so-kindly told you, _"Augh, you bitch! Fine, I'll take care of her, but you two are lucky I love you both!"_ ), you noticed Allen outside by himself. Matt wasn't with him anymore, but Allen looked quite peaceful lounging there on the hammock alone.

_I guess I'll go check on him,_ you thought as you headed out the door to see him. "Hey son. Is everything alright?" You asked as you towered over him.

From his resting position down on the hammock, he looked up and gave you an inebriated smile.

_Oh, great,_ you mentally whined. _It looks like he's been drinking too._

"Just peachy."

"Hah," You chuckled. "You mean just drunk?"

"A 'lil tipsy is all. Thought I should lay down."

"Mm. So where's Matt?"

"Left. Said parties aren't his thing."

"I figured," You said as you sat down on the striped red-and-orange hammock with him.

With next to no grace, he lifted up his denim-clad legs and plopped them over your lap. "Comfy.~" He slurred.

"Hey, do I look like a footrest? You're the second person to do this tonight," You lightly mentioned. The truth was you didn't mind – this wouldn't be the first time you low-key cuddled with him _. But in a best friend way_ , you'd always reminded yourself.

"Y'know... me 'n Matt are cool now. Thanks a whole lot, dollface."

"Don't mention it, pookie."

"You've helped me so muuuuch!~" He crooned. Obviously, the alcohol made him a lot nicer than usual. "You're sucha great friend. I'm lucky as hell to have ya as a friend and a neighbor, heheh!"

"Allen... I think you're what they call an 'emotional drunk'."

"You kiddin' me? I'm the world's biggest softie. I just hide it normally 'cause it's cool to act tough.~" He paused, his cheeks flushed from the intoxication. "Ya know what else I hide? How much I love you. _____, baby, do I ever tell you how great you are? 'Cause you're pretty great. You know that? So nice and helpful. Perfecto." His words were garbled but sugary-sweet.

You jokingly placed a hand to your heart and smiled. "I'm so moved."

He couldn't stop smiling that drunken, toothy grin of his. "...Get in here." He sat up and opened up his arms, the universal request for a bear hug.

"Fine, you big baby." You leaned forward and embraced him tightly. He smelled of luscious cologne and his chest was toned, broad, and muscular.

He didn't let go for several moments. As he cradled you in his arms, he quietly mumbled into your ear, "_____... I need you..."

"Hm?" You pulled away slightly, but only to see his face.

_Big mistake._

Not thinking clearly, he pressed forward and kissed your lips.

The first thing you felt was the cold metal of his lip piercings on your mouth. The second thing you registered was that he was _kissing you_.

Stunned into paralysis, you couldn't do anything for several seconds.

In his cloudy state of mind, he must've taken that as permission to keep going. He pressed his mouth harder to yours and held your body tighter.

Suddenly, you heard a door close.

You jumped in shock and turned to see the sliding glass door.

Through it, you saw Zao disappear into the crowd.

Immediately, you called to him. "Zao!" You lunged off the hammock, the motion nearly causing Allen to fall off. "Zao, come back!"

The close-by window was open, so you figured he could hear you but chose not to return.

"_____..."

You whipped around to see Allen now standing behind you.

His previously tranquil and sensitive drunken appearance had twisted into an expression full of horror and anxiety. "L-Look, I am _so sorry_. That was stupid. Really, really stupid. I didn't mean it... It was nothing..." He stressfully knotted his fingers into his auburn hair. "Oh my _god_ , I'm such a dumbass. I'm totally fuckin' wasted..." He said to the ground because he couldn't bring himself to look you in the eye.

"W-Whatever. I don't care as long as you didn't mean it. You're drunk and stoned, I get it. But, what am I gonna do about Zao?! He's totally got the wrong idea! I can't... I don't..." Already, you felt on the brink of tears. You'd never had this type of horrible misunderstanding before and weren't sure how to approach it, especially when it involved someone so close, so precious to your heart.

"I'll help you. I'll do whatever I can. But...," He tried to take a step, but his balance was still pretty off. He almost stumbled as he continued, " _You_ have to talk to him. He won't listen to me... just like I wouldn't listen to Matt when..." He trailed off and regretfully covered his face with his palms. "I swear to God I'm gonna set myself on fire."

"I'll bring a flame extinguisher. But for now, I gotta go find Zao." With that, you dashed back into the party, determined to talk to him.

_You trust me, don't you?_

Hot tears welled up in the corners of your eyes as you sprinted through the condo, pushing past anyone and everyone to find Zao. You were breathing heavily from all the running and your heart was pounding hard enough to feel the echo in your ears, but you weren't going to stop until you told him what had _actually_ happened.

_Please don't be mad at me. I can't lose you now._

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Cigarette smoke surrounded him like a somber veil.

Not even the hits of nicotine managed to calm him down. His mind was still reeling and his body felt numb.

He was hidden in a dark corner of an unused room. He was hurt deeply by what he'd just witnessed and naturally, his inexperience with these types of relationships left him feeling betrayed, broken, and devastated. If he knew anything, it was that he liked you more than he'd ever liked anyone.

His intense emotional attachment to you nearly frightened him, but... isn't that what they call 'love'?

...Even if he did love you, did it matter anymore?

He had so many doubts about himself that he wasn't sure he could ever officially date you. He'd never believed he was good enough for you; he _knew_ he wasn't. He also knew you deserved better than him. Since the beginning, he got that you were out of his league — but did that stop him? Of course it didn't. Falling for you was inevitable and that was _his_ problem.

Lately, his insecurities were at an all-time high. He almost wasn't surprised to see you'd moved on to someone else.

Even if it wasn't his place to get possessive over you, nothing could stop the harsh jealously from coursing through his veins. He wasn't upset at the fact that you were kissing Allen (well, not entirely), he was upset at the fact that he could never be the right person for you. He'd always feared that notion and tried to pretend it wasn't the truth, but now he knew it as a cold hard reality.

He almost didn't blame you for getting with someone else.

He was nothing. _I'm worthless_..., he thought. _And I have too many issues she still doesn't know about._

He'd never despised himself more than he did at that moment.

He'd wanted to trust you, but he couldn't unsee what happened.

He liked you far too much for his own good. _She'll be the death of me someday_... Choking back tears, he eyed the lit cigarette between his fingers.

Painful memories flashed before his eyes. He knew the drill – take the cigarette, flip to the ember, press to skin.

Old habits die hard.

_...What did I get myself into?_

This wasn't the first time he'd gotten this depressed over you.

_If only I was better for you._

Only then would he have the courage to fight for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i made a spotify soundtrack for this fic,, just go on there and search 'dragon district' and you'll see zao's playlist haha


	19. His Trust Remains

"Tch, what an annoyance..." Kuro grumbled to himself as he stalked down the hall.

It'd been like watching one of Yonsu's shitty Korean dramas. Girl gets caught kissing another guy, the guy leaves, the girl goes after him but to no avail.

It literally made Kuro gag.

And after that, it made him roll his eyes and internally groan because _what a fucking inconvenience._

"Just what the idiot needed," He griped to himself as he shoved his way through sweaty, dancing bodies.

Once he reached the door he was looking for, someone abruptly slid between him and the knob.

Kuro's fiery eyes met a taller, slender chest - dressed in a black shirt that read _[censored]_ in small white print. His burning red irises travelled further up to meet a _potentially_ good-looking face with Korean features, wavy black hair and narrowed olive-green eyes. _"...Yonsu,"_ He spat, "Get out of my way."

He shook his head, "No way, _hyung_. I saw the way _____ was looking all over for our big bro. Is he okay?"

Kuro's sharp teeth clenched, hard. "That's what I was trying to find out."

A few seconds later, Yonsu glanced at the door behind him. "Oh. He in here?"

To which the Japanese nodded stoically, _"Move."_

Yonsu obeyed his second-in-command mentor and stepped away. Finally, Kuro knocked on the wooden surface.

As expected, there was no answer.

He sighed before ordering, "Zao-kun, open the door."

Another silent moment passed.

"Zao-kun. _Now_." His voice hinted consequences.

He heard sounds of protest from behind the door. "Ughh... Kuro?"

The two raven-haired Asians peeked at each other before Kuro answered, "Who else?" He decided to hold off on telling him Yonsu was here as well.

After all, Zao and Kuro were _closer_ than brothers. They'd known each other since early childhood; their bond was unbreakable. Zao and Yonsu however? It was still more like a teacher-student relationship rather than a mutual, extremely strong friendship and respect for each other. Kuro had seen Zao at his best, as well as at his rock-bottom worst.

The door slowly opened, but the room was close to pitch-black. Zao didn't seem to be nearby. He must have unlocked the door and then crept back into his little corner of despair.

"What are you sulking for?"

"N-Nothing..."

Kuro tactfully stepped into the room, and yet he noticed with a bitter sigh that Yonsu's shadow loomed over his. Neither of them were very tall, but Kuro was especially short. Now there was no way to hide Yonsu's presence.

At the moment, there was nothing he despised more than the fact that Yonsu was younger than him and yet still higher in height. "...May we enter? It's just us."

A pause. "Yonsu? That you too?"

The Korean grinned at his beloved brother's inquiry. "I'm here for you, _hyung!"_

Kuro allowed him inside and closed the door. He could perceive that it was a small room with hardly anything in it — a few boxes at most.

He quietly sat crisscross on the floor and remarked, "You said nothing's wrong; you and I both know that's not true."

Moonlight seeped through the closed blinds. It vaguely allowed him to detect Zao's slumped form against the opposite wall. He sensed their adoptive sibling ungracefully plop down next to them as well.

"Yeah... I know."

"So, why are you behaving like this?" Kuro squeezed Yonsu's leg as a silent plea to remain quiet and let the elders have their private conversation.

After all, Yonsu had never seen Zao at such a weak point before. He tightly gripped Kuro's wrist in acknowledgment.

"Something..." He swallowed back tears. "-something happened with _____."

"That much is obvious."

"H-How much did you see?"

"Everything."

Zao gave a half-laugh and mumbled, "I'm a little glad it was you, Kuro..."

"I-I may not have seen too much, but..." Yonsu began carefully, "I love you Zao and I'm here for moral support."

Zao murmured out something that sounded like a 'thanks'.

He may have broke his silence, but for this time, Kuro would allow it. He crossed his arms and stared at Zao. "I'll try to get this through your thick skull as quickly as possible. Zao-kun... you understand you and _____ belong together. Don't you?"

"I mean...-"

"-Shut up. You do. And you're really an idiot if you let her go. Don't you see how much this girl likes you? You need to fight for her. Giving up isn't in your nature."

"'Giving up'?"

"This is the only way you can prove that you're serious about her. And you are, correct?"

"I'm dead-serious about her. I just don't know if—"

"-Then stop hesitating. Don't be stupid and assume she still wants that American after all this time. Don't you get that they'd be dating by now if that were the case? Just believe her if you really trust her so much."

"But... you think I can just get over it that easily?" His tone had gotten slightly defensive. "I saw them together. It _hurts_ ; something _you_ might not understand."

At this, Yonsu gasped quietly.

Kuro didn't respond for a few seconds. Finally, he slowly asked, "You think I don't have feelings?"

Zao wasn't having it. "Uh?! Sure seems that way, buddy."

He exhaled loudly. " _Whatever_. Let's not make this about me. It's about you getting out of here and finding _____."

"I'm kind of—"

Kuro leaned forward, right towards the slouched, _pathetic_ form that was Zao. On all fours, he crawled uncomfortably close to his face and said, "-Not sorry to interrupt, but sitting here moping isn't going to fix anything. You get that she's frantically looking all over the place for you, right? She seems... distraught. I can assure you that there was some kind of misunderstanding."

Zao cautiously peered at his striking features. "...What kind of misunderstanding?"

"How about you ask her and find out." At that moment, Kuro started to get up. "I tried to get through to you. Everything's up to you now." He stepped over to the door and let himself out.

As soon as the door closed, Zao regretted treating him that way.

This left him and Yonsu sitting on the floor.

After a moment of stillness, Yonsu decided to speak up. " _Hyung_... we only want you to be happy. I want you to know that uh, sometimes... you can let us help you." He gazed at his spiritual leader with love in his eyes. "But... I understand that there are some things you need to figure out on your own. I wish you luck, bro." With that, he stood up and exited the room.

Now that he was gone too, Zao felt more alone than ever.

Kuro had only been trying to help. Sure, he wasn't the sweetest about it, but he'd still _tried_. That was something, especially for him. And now Zao felt like he'd just upset him, too.

Oh well. He'd known Kuro for years; that didn't mean he completely understood him, but it did mean he could patch things up with him later. They lived together, after all.

As for Yonsu? He truly loved him like a little brother, no matter how much he pushed him away sometimes.

Tonight, it felt like he had matured just a bit. Enough to start bringing him out more, at least. 

But, for now...

"_____..." He covered his face with his hands and sighed _. If only you knew how I really felt about you..._

He wasn't sure if he could ever tell you properly.

_There's a reason I should never fall in love..._

He knew it, and he'd thought Kuro knew it, too. But Kuro was supposed to be the smarter one. And he'd allowed everything to happen without interference. Zao figured either Kuro didn't care about him, or... Kuro didn't see a reason to stop him. Why didn't he?

_I'm... not a good person..._ he thought to himself. Recollecting bits of his past wasn't going to help _. And my parents? How am I supposed to explain any of this to _____?_

What if the day came that he had to go back to China? He couldn't drag you into this.

But... he wanted you so much. Every crevice of him - through bone and blood - absolutely needed you in his life. He wouldn't be able to stand seeing you with anyone else. And he'd worked so hard for you... and you were _so close to his..._

He knew there was a word for how he felt about you; he just couldn't allow himself to accept it. He'd already complicated things enough.

But here he was – not about to give up. He'll have you even if it's not the wisest decision.

There was no denying it; he was in love with you.

_I guess it's true then... Love always makes you a little crazy._

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Your lungs were starting to burn.

All this running around combined with crippling anxiety were really starting to take a toll on you. You'd already checked most of the house for Zao, but he was nowhere to be found. With pounding music and swarms of sweaty, dancing bodies, it wasn't exactly easy to search for him. Not to mention you'd gotten elbowed and pushed back by annoyed partiers more times than you could count.

"Where are you..." The words weakly left your lips in a hushed tone of defeat.

"Did you check the balcony?"

You jumped at the nearby voice and swiveled around. "Oh... um, yeah. About three times. Every time I did, there was a couple or two making out." Exasperated, you rolled your eyes.

Kuro sneered. "I think you should check again."

"Why?" Your voice raised a pitch. "Is Zao there?"

"I get the feeling he is."

_"Why?"_ You repeated. You were desperate to know anything about how he was feeling at the moment. "Did you talk to him? How do you know he's there?"

Kuro's wickedly amused expression didn't change. "Call it a hunch."

_At least I know where to find him._ You offered Kuro a smile of thanks and sprinted back over to the balcony.

As soon as the double glass doors came into view, you slowed down and felt a surge of red-hot fear slice through your insides. _What if he doesn't want anything to do with me? What if he ignores me?_ The dark silhouette leaning against the balcony was undoubtedly him. _I don't think I'd be able to handle him telling me to leave_. Your heart would shatter if he left you.

_There's only one thing to do._

"Zao!" You ran over to the doors and shoved them open. "Zao, are you okay?"

A navy sky stretched out all around him. The moon was hidden in clouds and the air was still. For just one moment, the background noise of music and laughter fell mute.

As if collecting the willpower to face you, he slowly turned. Just by the shreds of seconds you'd seen him move you could tell he was torn to pieces.

Before he got the chance to speak, you spilled out your heart in one rushed breath: "It-It wasn't what you think! I don't like Allen that way and he was super fucking drunk so that's why he did it! Honestly it wasn't consensual and he's really sorry and we never meant for any of this to happen and I'm so sorry, I—"

"-Hey," His soft voice put an end to your remorseful rambling. He stepped closer and gently put a hand on your shoulder. "I understand... don't worry."

His words weren't enough for you. "W-What...?" You needed proof to know you hadn't cut him deep. You needed to know that he still trusted you the same as before. You wouldn't stop unless you knew he understood every last detail about what had actually happened.

He sighed. "Come here; you're shaking."

He held out his arms and in that moment, every last concern dissipated. His embrace made your panic melt away and gave you the fulfilment you hadn't known you direly required.

You squeezed him tightly and pressed your tear-stained face into his chest. "Zao..."

"I trust you. But there's something else I needed to tell you."

"L-Like what...?"

"I'm sure you're aware that there are some things you still don't know about me."

"Yes, I know." _But where is this going? Does this mean he already forgave me...?_

"I'm not... I'm not _good,"_ You felt his breath exhale over the top of your head. "And I'm not the right choice for you. I don't deserve you and I know it. I... wanted to make it clear before I ever told you about what's going on."

_I feel like I've heard this preface several times before._ "What ever problems you're hiding... we can deal with them together. I won't like you any less once you finally tell me. You are more than your mistakes – that much I know."

He fell silent. You held him tighter and added, "My family loves you; they'd do anything to help."

You felt him smile from where he rested his face on your head. "But..."

"-And our friends too. Don't underestimate how much you've made an impact on everyone in the district."

"But... what if I have to leave?"

There it was – the haunting new reveal you'd expected to stress over. "... _Leave_?"

"What if I need to go back to China someday?"

"But why?"

"My parents..."

"W-Would they... force you to come back?"

"It's a possibility."

You were quiet for a while. His words had left a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach _. Zao? Leaving? No..._ _I..._ you couldn't imagine living here without him.

"But... it's not for sure, right?" You'd still grasp onto the slivers of a chance he wouldn't move across the planet.

"Not for sure."

_As long as it's not solid in the future..._ "Then... can we just..." You inhaled deeply to get over the storm of emotions that had come over you during the past couple hours. "Can we just enjoy the time we have together?"

For the first time since you latched onto him, he relaxed his tense muscles and embraced you tighter. "Heh... of course _bǎobèi_."

Inside, the party raged on, and thankfully no one else had decided to swing by the balcony. The music drowned to background noise and it seemed the stars had aligned just for this one moment.

"You... you do know I have to kiss you now, right?"

You barely registered what he'd said before you replied, "What?"

He gently cupped your cheek with his palm. "You _know_ what." With that, he tilted your lips up to meet his.

It was a soft, gentle kiss. One led to another, and then another. Before he could get carried away, he murmured against your mouth, "You... seriously make me lose my fucking mind sometimes..."

You smiled. "I could say the same for you."

He pulled away slightly and gripped your hands in his. "I think there's something... you know I want to ask you."

Your smile turned into a grin. "Do it; I dare you."

"...Be my girlfriend."

Your heart pounded harder. "Th-That... didn't sound like a question."

"Hmm... you want me to beg?"

"I _think_ you already have, once or twice." You giggled.

"Hey... whatever you're into, babe." Playfully, he winked at you.

You laughed some more – and you could literally feel giddiness bubbling up inside. "Well then... my answer is yes."

"...Really?"

"Yes...?"

_"Really?!"_

After a long wait, you were finally his, and he was all yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! thanks for making it this far, ily. now have a much-needed age chart! also, this fic takes place mostly the summer ~before~ they go into these school grades:
> 
> MC - age (? idc), junior  
> 2p china / zao - 17, senior  
> 2p america / allen - 18, senior  
> 2p england / oliver - 18, senior  
> 2p romano / flavio - 18, senior  
> 2p italy / luciano - 17, junior  
> 2p japan / kuro - 16, junior  
> 2p germany / lutz - 18, senior  
> 2p canada / matt - 17, junior  
> 2p korea / yonsu - 16, sophomore  
> 2p hong kong / jin - 15, freshman  
> 2p russia / ion - 18, senior  
> 2p france / francois - 19, graduated  
> 2p ukraine / yekaterina - 23, graduated  
> 2p austria / roland - 21, graduated  
> 2p prussia / gilen - 21, graduated
> 
> im emotional bc this is the last chapter i wrote 4 years ago. NEW chapter comin next yay


	20. His Past is Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning this chapter's rated M for sexy times ayyyee ;)

The red light district was quite lively in the evening.

The locality, true to its name, was indeed bathed in the soft glow of red. Lampposts lined each side of the streets, which illuminated the dark pathways with their burgundy bulbs. Towering neon signs further lit up the vicinity in reminiscence of Vegas, except in the outlines of erotica rather than casinos.

Sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters among other sex-oriented businesses loomed ahead, and you briefly flashed back to the first time you visited this godless place.

You’d never been here alone before, but Zao had told you to meet him here and he’d been too swamped with work to pick you up. So you’d taken it upon yourself to get here on your own.

The shop he’d asked you to meet him in was the one nearest to the entrance, thankfully. You briefly scanned the tall, glimmering signs for the one that read ‘Peepshow’.

Ah, there it was. You slowly began walking towards it, taking the time to people-watch on the way.

Shady-looking groups of men walked past, along with gorgeous girls in nightclub outfits.

When one of the intimating men glanced in your direction, you felt yourself flinch with apprehension.

A beat later, you remembered what he’d said:

_“No worries babe,”_ Zao had told you. _“No one’s going to mess with you. Trust me; they all know about you.”_

_“But… what do they know?”_ You’d asked him in worry.

_“They know you’re mine,” He grinned snidely, “So if they bother you, they know they’re dead.”_

With that in your memory, you strode all the way to Peepshow and walked in.

There wasn’t anyone ID’ing at the door, which would have been fine if there was, due to Zao’s connections. He’d told you to meet him in the room near the cash registers.

Aisles of sex toys, lubricants, lingerie, and strappy leather accessories crossed your vision. These things were all new to you and you found yourself thankful you’d recently gotten an IUD. Finally, you spotted the double doors you’d been searching for.

You approached it quickly and knocked a couple of times.

_“You may enter.~”_ A voice chimed from the other side.

You giggled when you recognized his sing-song voice.

When you opened the door, a slightly messy, but otherwise spacious office came into view.

The walls were a color of deep red and covered in traditional Chinese-style ink paintings. Asian scrolls took up the remaining wall space, or at least, the areas that weren’t decorated with artsy sex-themed coal drawings.

A small couch, a coffee table, and a bookshelf helped fill the room. There was a large mirror to the side of the wooden desk. “I like your lanterns. Did you decorate this place?” You asked as you eyed the lit-up red and gold lanterns that hung from the ceiling.

“I may have had a say in it,” Zao answered from his seat at the desk. He was currently glued to the computer screen. “Almost done babe, I promise.”

“Oh no rush, it’s okay.”

He looked good tonight. Er, well, shit – he looked good all the time.

You silently checked him out as he finished typing up a report. He was in a burgundy muscle tank that showed off his toned arms, scars, and tattoos. A black Chinese-style dragon was designed over the front of the shirt, which matched the dragon tattoo that wrapped around his left arm. Loose black cargo pants and military boots completed his look for the night.

Truth be told, you had no idea why you were here.

You’d known he had ties to the red light district – but you never knew precisely _how_ or why. You’d always assumed it had something to do with his drug dealing. A territory, perhaps?

That didn’t matter now that he had officially cut ties with his drug trafficking history, though. So why was he still here? And in an _office_ , no less? And _sitting_ in the said office _typing away like he owned the place?_

“You’re probably wondering why we’re here,” He mentioned as he took in a deep breath and finally scooted away from the monitor.

“Um… yeah. What’s going on?” You knew you had no reason to be worried, especially after he promised to change for you. Still, this was _kinda_ weird.

His crimson eyes met yours and he smiled gently – however, you didn’t miss that hint of concern hidden away in his features.

By now, you’d practically memorized his face. It was damn near perfect, after all. And behind that smooth skin, those heart-shaped lips, and sharp red eyes that were framed with the darkest, longest eyelashes you’d ever seen, you could tell he was nervous to tell you whatever it was he was about to tell you.

“Um, so… this is one of the shops that I own.”

Your eyes widened. _So he_ does _own the place?!_ “ _One_ of them?!” You repeated, incredulous.

He chuckled lightly, “Impressed?”

You shook your head. “No-No, I mean, yes… I-I’m just surprised. You never told me this!”

“Yeah, I know. I always meant to, though,” He sighed and leaned back in his seat, propping his boots up on the desk. “I own three, and co-own a couple others. Hah, that’s why I used to joke around calling myself the ‘King of the red light district’. But then my regular customers started saying it, then my employees started saying it, and then it became a whole thing. Some even call me ‘Emperor’ now, ain’t that cute?” He rested his head against the seat and winked lazily at you.

The phrase ‘King of the red light district’ actually rang a bell in your mind.

_“I didn't know you ran this store. How many d'you got now, three?” Zao chuckled. “You plotting to steal my throne?”_

_“Any day now.” Yekaterina was all-serious. Everything about her gave off a strict, no-nonsense aura._

Your jaw dropped at the memory. They were _serious_ about that?! Not to mention, another recollection burst into your brain:

_“Awwh, you're so_ mean _, Kat...” He whined, looking like a kicked puppy._

_“Tch. You deserve it, little boy.” She said the last two words like 'leedle boi' due to her thick accent._

_You heard some snickering from nearby strangers. “I love when the King and Queen interact with each other,” One of them said._

_‘King and Queen...?’ you wondered._

_Yekaterina sighed bitterly. “Ahh, yes, that is I; Queen of the red light district. That is, until I crush the King beneath my six-inch stiletto,” She smirked at Zao. “-and become Goddess.”_

_‘King and Queen of the red light district’._ _No wonder they knew each other. You briefly recalled what you heard Zao tell Allen on the first day you met him – “I'm King of the red light district and you know it!”_

Suddenly, all the dots seemed to connect.

“I can’t believe this,” Were the first words you managed to get out. “So that whole rivalry thing between you and Yekaterina? Is it actually, like… a turf war? Are you guys really trying to own more land in the red light district than each other?”

At this, he busted up laughing. “Bahahaha! Like, it’s totally not as serious as she makes it seem! Yeah she may say shit like, she’s going to ‘take my throne’ or that she’s the ‘Queen’ or whatever, but it’s all in good fun. _Besides_ , she only owns a few shops. We’re even business partners in a couple of them.”

You were still getting over the shock of _him_ , Zao Wang, seriously owning a business, let alone _multiple_. “Okay but like, how is this even _legal?_ Is it even possible to own a business before you’re eighteen?”

He teasingly blew you a kiss from his seat just four feet away, “I won’t lie – this _isn’t_ fully legal. It’s… a little shady, even. But you know me. A _lot_ about me and the things I do were illegal since the day you met me.”

At this, you snorted. “Oh _yeah_ , I know.”

“So… we don’t exactly do things the lawful way. We cut corners. We forge documents. Shit, we’ve even hired a few hackers. But here we are,” He sat up straight and rested his arms on the large, slightly cluttered desk. “Don’t get me wrong, I have to share a lot of the profits – which is why I’m not like, super rich or anything. Just enough to get by and then some.”

“’And then some’...” You repeated suspiciously.

“Enough to pay the bills and enjoy life. _Besides_ , you can’t expect much from these hole-in-the-wall type of shops that get like, three customers an hour, max.”

It was all starting to make sense now. “So you don’t even work here? I’m guessing you just… check in once in a while and then go home?”

He nodded, “Yup. Owning the place means I just hire employees to do all the work for me, then pay them out. I haven’t even been coming here that much lately.”

By now, you were beginning to relax. You could understand why he hadn’t ever told you this before. It simply wasn’t information that required to be known. However, things were different now that you two were in an official relationship.

At that thought, it struck you that you hadn’t done much with him since starting the relationship just a couple days ago.

He meant everything to you, no matter what type of outrageous new information he threw at you. “Oh… okay then. I understand.” You offered him a smile of acceptance.

You’d thought nothing of it; it was just one of your usual smiles, or so you believed.

However, at the sight of the sweet, gentle upturning of your lips, Zao’s crimson eyes widened just the slightest bit.

You knew he liked you — that much was _painfully_ obvious ever since your first encounter with him, but there were times when you forgot just _how_ _much_ he liked you.

Times like now, when you gave him what you thought was a casual smile, but to him – it was enough to make him _ache_ for you.

A lovely dust of pink brushed across his cheeks.

“…Really? I, um… I’m glad,” He said quietly. His voice sounded like it had caught in his throat.

A minute later, your voice softened. “Zao…”

A short moment of silence followed.

Suddenly, he slid his chair away from the desk. “…Come here,” He faintly beckoned.

The mood felt like it had shifted; the air felt heavier. Warmth shot up your body as you did what you were told.

His lap looked rather inviting, after all.

His eyes followed your every movement. You watched them darken as you approached his open lap.

“The more I learn about you, the more I like you, Zao…” You admitted, crawling onto him.

His body was practically emanating heat. Your knees rested on either side of his hips, and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. Seeing his broad, muscled chest so close to yours reminded you of one of the many reasons you were attracted to him.

Feeling brave, you looked into his face.

His eyes were shaded by the brim of his military cap. His lips were parted. His thin, wavy brown ponytail fell to the side of his shoulder.

You could tell he was stunned by your flirting – after all, _he_ was usually the tease, always making you blush.

“Uh, _____...” He whispered huskily, “I’m getting, kind of… _turned on_ …”

At the blatant mention of it, you lost your cool and looked down, nervous. “Oh, I… I didn’t mean to, um…-”

As if in slow motion, he tilted his head and found your lips with his.

Your eyelids fluttered closed as you processed his mouth on yours. It was warm, sweet… and not innocent for very long.

He tilted your chin up with his finger to deepen the kiss. You felt his wet, hot tongue slide across your lips, begging you to open your mouth.

You complied and lost yourself in his kiss, one after another, each getting harder, faster, and more desperate.

Another minute or so passed of making out until you felt his hands gently slide down your waist. They roamed to the curves of your ass and squeezed tight – he was enjoying this. A lot.

Your breath hitched as one hand slid back up to your shirt hem. He distracted your mouth with his tongue as he pulled up the fabric and caressed your bare skin.

A grueling heat coiled up in your lower stomach that caused you to let out a soft moan. The hardness in his pants felt so good against the burning between your thighs.

He encouraged the grinding with a slight roll of his hips, to which you accepted with a hiss of pleasure. His hands drifted up the inside of your shirt, savoring the feel of your skin.

You tightened your grip on his shoulders when you suddenly heard two taps that sounded like quiet knocks on wood.

You gasped as your eyes shot wide open.

“S-Someone’s at the door!” You whispered-shouted as you quickly untangled yourself from his limbs and stood up.

A few seconds later, he let out a dark laugh below his breath, his expression not changing one bit. “I’m kind of busy,” He lowly said to the person on the other side of the door.

No one answered. They must have heard his response and walked away.

Your gaze switched from the door back to Zao.

Clearly, he wasn’t pleased with the interruption. He wore a sexy smirk and shineless carnal eyes. “If you think…,” He stood up from his seat. He then took a step towards you and you almost flinched, “-that I’m letting you off that easy… you really need to consider the consequences.”

He took another step closer, to which you backed away. A dark and seductive aura had surrounded him now. Shaded eyes rose from beneath his cap’s shadow to reveal irises glowing a dangerous, vibrant red. “ _You_ did this to me, _you_ got me hard, _bǎobèi_ … now you’re going to pay for it.”

Your breath caught in your throat. S- _So… hot…_

In a swift movement, he pressed his arms to your shoulders and pushed you up against the office wall.

His rough movements only excited you more. The passion furthered when he buried his face into your neck, salaciously beginning to lick, kiss, and suck on the sensitive skin.

Your eyes fluttered closed once more. The room began to feel hazy, unbalanced. You felt a weakness in your knees that threatened to let you drop. It felt like the rest of the world had crumbled away and all that was left was Zao – and all that he made your body feel.

His kisses and soft moans lowered from your neck down to your chest. Before you knew it, he had raised your shirt up to your collar bone, exposing your bra to his desirous eyes. “Mmm…” His hands slid over your flesh to grope your breasts. “I know you’re enjoying this,” He mumbled as his mouth enveloped the soft mounds.

He knew because he could read you better than anyone else you’d ever met. You savored the feeling of his fingers squeezing, massaging, and caressing your chest.

“You’ve been a good girl… you deserve this…” Your eyes cracked open when you felt him lower himself downward.

He got on his knees.

_Oh… is he… going to…_ your mind clouded over in pure bliss at the thought.

“I’m gonna make you feel so good, baby.” He easily unbuttoned your shorts, then watched them fall to your ankles. You almost instinctively stepped out of them, your back still pressed to the wall.

He latched on to your left leg and, to both your horror and delight, placed it directly over his right shoulder. “Heh… I like your panties,” He teased.

You felt so vulnerable. You were being supported by not much more than the wall and one leg – while the other lay resting over that shoulder of his, exposing you to him in a way you’ve never been before.

“I like them so much, I could just… rip them off of you…” Were the last words you heard before you felt his teeth gently clench between the fabric.

The movement caused you to inhale sharply. However, that was nothing compared to when he tugged down, bringing your underwear lower between his sharp, pearly canines.

With that, the garment tore and slipped away.

He was practically _drooling_. It only made his next move feel even better.

Finally, his moistened lips pressed to your exposed clit in a naughty, naughty kiss.

You bit back a hard moan. His dripping, warm tongue slithered out and you realized _why_ oral sex was so popular.

After your hum of approval, he further began to explore your most sensitive area with his wet, hot muscle. It glided over the lips. He sucked and playfully nipped, snickering every time you let out a flustered sound.

One hand caressed your inner thigh, the other cupped your ass to both play with and hold you in place. He pressed a few sloppy kisses to the space between your thighs and you were surprised to find out how sexy those smooching noises sounded to your ears.

“You like that?” He chuckled, “This is nothing. I haven’t even gotten started.”

The moment you felt his tongue slip _inside of you_ was a game changer.

“Oh, fuck…” You pleaded aloud.

As soon as your cry of enjoyment reached his ears, he shifted the muscle even _deeper_ inside of you. Never had you felt anything like this before. You reached for his arms and squeezed them tight.

He began to pump his tongue in and out of you, teasing you with a slow pace. His fingers tightened their grip on your flesh hard enough to leave marks.

“D-Don’t stop…” In between your gasps for air, you couldn’t help but peek down at him.

And mother of God, if _feeling_ him do this wasn’t enough, _seeing_ him do it was nearly enough to push you off the edge.

He was _on his knees_ for you. He’d do anything for you. His arms had shifted now, he was holding on to each of your thighs with both hands, spreading your legs, forcing his way in. You were willingly opening yourself for him, the way he always, _always_ wanted you to.

He really was as skilled as they say. Hell, you knew more than anything that he’d be able to make you cum with just his _mouth_ if he wanted to. The way his moans felt against your clit were like sexy vibrations, the fact that he was so hard just by pleasing you was nearly enough to make you give in. He liked you _so much_ and it was evident in his performance.

He looked devastatingly sexy when you looked down, because there he was — between your thighs, his heavenly face flushed pink, focused on giving you pleasure, his knees against the floor as if he were your loyal, naughty servant.

Eventually, his fingers began to enter you, first one, then another. Combined with his tongue, the sheer arousal off-balanced you enough to require you to shoot your arm out and noisily latch onto the nearby bookshelf.

Meanwhile, his digits stretched you open; you could feel your walls slowly expanding to the depth of his lustful probing. His tongue lecherously lapped up your excreting fluids as he moaned, “Mmmph… you taste _so good,_ _____...”

That was enough. You wanted more of him. “ _Zao_ …”

At hearing the sound of his name, he paused. “…Is it too much?” He rasped.

Dismayed that he stopped, you responded with, “N-No. I… I want more…”

Like a bolt of lightning, a wicked smile struck his lips. “Hah… and I thought you were about to say I was going too far.”

“Not today.”

“You want more babe?” He rose up and pressed a loud kiss to your throat.

_“Yes,”_ You breathily replied.

You could _hear_ the smugness in his voice when he asked next, “You begging me?”

You decided to answer with actions rather than words. You found his shirt hem with your fingers and rose it up. He complied, allowing you to rip it off his body.

His bare, muscled chest was like a _God’s_. Black tattoos ran down his body. He was much more toned than his clothes let on.

Your eyes trailed down his sculpted abs. Unable to resist, you felt up the six-pack with your wandering hands, all the way down to his V-shaped hip bones. Lying beneath them was a low-riding Nike boxer waistband.

“…Like what you see?” He teased.

You were too mesmerized to come up with a response.

He slowly pressed his clothed, rock-hard erection to your thighs, awaiting your permission. He began abusing your neck with bites, kisses and hickeys. “I want you...” He murmured below his breath.

To which you softly urged, “I want you _too_.”

And that was all he needed to hear.

His hands snaked around your thighs. Before you realized what was happening, he roughly picked you up and held you against the wall. Looking down, your eyes widened at the distance now between your feet and the ground.

“I hope you’re ready for this, _____... because I’ve been dreaming about it for _months_ now,” He tightened his grip on you, simultaneously pushing his boner against your lower stomach, “I’ve been thinking about it every night… _aching_ for you… imagining every time I’m with you…” His voice was pleading, love-struck.

Your mind suddenly flashed back to the many times he’d flirted with you, playfully touched you, and all the instances you’d told him to stop, to which he’d begrudgingly obeyed.

Not this time.

You could practically _hear_ the raw desire in his voice, could nearly _feel_ it on your skin in the wake of his tantalizing touch.

He’d talked and joked about having sex with you almost every day since you moved here. The fact that it was happening now was a big deal for several reasons. One of which was that you knew it was all he ever wished for since you arrived in this city. You weren’t used to someone wanting you this badly… it was pretty hot, to say the least.

His arms constricted around you and you suddenly felt yourself being lifted off the wall. The tiled floor came into view as he carried you a few steps away. Before you fully processed what he was doing, you felt the cool wooden surface of his desk against your back.

First, your eyes saw the lantern-covered ceiling. Second, your ears caught the sound of him unbuttoning, unzipping, then lowering his pants. Not long afterward, he came for you.

He wordlessly reached for your ankles, pulled them up, and propped your legs against his shoulders, his height absolutely towering over you.

A steamy grin was on his face. The brim of his hat shaded his eyes, his teeth glinted with shining, abnormal sharpness, and his expression twisted into a look of prurient hunger.

He was going to devour you and you were ready for it. You were done saying _no_ ; you were surrendering yourself to him, _finally_.

Your breath hitched when you felt the warm, smooth skin of his hard dick against your inner thighs.

He sighed, practically exhaling pure pent-up sexual tension. “_____... f-finally…” He whispered, nearly inaudible.

Even just the tip felt so good, you wanted more and more of it. You got just that when he slowly began to enter you.

It made every inch of your insides clench. Each passing second was almost painfully overstimulating with pleasure that you thought you might explode.

Every time you thought he might be all the way in, he kept going. His length must be _massive_. You almost cringed at how far inside of you he went.

After a moment, he paused. You took a couple extra breaths to get used to his thick, throbbing cock inserted between your legs.

“_____...” He dreamily breathed out your name as he began to move.

_Oh, God._

You tightly gripped the sides of the desk as he began to slide in and out of you.

You almost felt like you couldn’t handle it; not just the feeling, but the _view_ of him doing it as well. It was too much, too good.

He grabbed your knees and tugged your legs further up, pressing your heels to each of his shoulders. His hands wrapped around your ankles, tightly gripping the flesh hard enough to leave nail indents, but neither of you noticed due to the passionate rocking of his hips against yours.

The position turned you on even more. The way he was holding you, having his way with you felt so sexy.

Each thrust made you see stars. Every time he pulled out, your body yearned for him to enter again. You wanted to _beg_ him to put it back in every time he paused with it halfway-out of you, and each time you felt him push it back in, tingles shot up your entire body – all of which tensed more with each movement, gradually building up. It was as if everything was in slow motion – that is, until he sped up his pace and made your mouth gape with loud moans.

“Fuck, your moans are… _so sexy,”_ Almost as sexy as the sound his waist made when it rammed into yours.

Your fingers tightened around the edge of the desk; you were gripping it hard enough to whiten your knuckles, but the amazing sex blocked out the pain.

Zao must have noticed, because he let go of your ankles, leaving them against his shoulder as he reached for your palms and pinned them down.

“You’re never escaping me,” He whispered, lowering himself to your ear.

He continued to shove his cock into you as he held your wrists prisoner. Between your legs spread against his bucking hips and your immobile hands, you truly felt prey to his predatory-like thirst for you. He was dominating you and you _loved_ it.

“Ah, _Zao_ …” You whimpered, “It… f-feels so _good_ ,”

At this, he slowed down a bit. His eyes widened slightly, his face burning hot. “Damn, if we keep this up, I’m going to…” He trailed off, then took in a deep breath. “You doing okay?”

_He’s so sweet_ , you thought. _He knows to make sure I’m enjoying this._ “Yes I am.”

His tone lowered to an ominous rasp, “Good.”

Abruptly, he pulled out of you.

“H-Hey—” You began to question it, but he roughly pulled you up to stand before you could finish.

You followed his lead; you weren’t sure why he had stopped, but you listened anyway.

In a commanding voice, he ordered, “Turn around.”

You obeyed by turning your back to him.

From behind you, he said, “Grab the desk.”

Another short demand. You were getting excited again. You listened, gripping onto the edge of the desk. Soon afterward, his arms slid across your mid-back, and you felt pressure as he angled you downward.

Something about the way he was in complete control turned you on more – you were burning for him now.

“Spread your legs.”

Dazedly, you replied a breathy “Huh?”

Evading the question, he skipped to what he wanted.

He swiftly pressed his left ankle to the side of your foot and slid it a couple steps aside. Before you could realize what he was doing, he did the same with your right, effectively spreading your stance enough apart for his erotic needs.

With a grunt of approval, he grabbed your hips. Unable to wait even another minute, he thrusted his hips into you again and his hot, wet organ filled you once more.

You sucked in a quick breath of surprise. The new position allowed him to enter you deeper than before, and dear God, you felt so _full_ ; your pussy was absolutely stuffed with his length.

“So tight… that’s pretty sexy, _bǎobèi.”_ He rocked his hips in a circular motion to relish the feeling.

Your walls clenched around his throbbing shaft, further stretching open. You knew it was going to be enough to make you both climax, hard.

Before you were fully accustomed to the deeper position, he bent you over and started fucking you again. “ _Damn_ , I needed this,” He sensuously hissed.

Somehow, the way he started again so soon actually made it feel even _hotter_. You moaned his name and felt your lower insides coil with sexually-driven bliss.

After another push of his hips, your head shot up with a cry of pleasure. Your eyes had been locked on the wooden surface beneath you, but now they faced your reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror that was to the side of his desk.

You saw yourself bent over the work space, hands clutching the sides, his height towering over yours as he rammed into you. His face was twisted into an expression of pure _euphoria_. Being able to watch him thrust into you from behind was the sexiest thing you’d ever seen.

The hot, spiraling nerves worked their way down to your clit, until Zao hit a particular spot and you gasped sharply. “Aghh, _fuck_ ,” You quickly shut your mouth in fear that the people outside could hear you.

“That where you like it, huh?” He quickened the pace and hit the spot again.

Your spine shot up straight – this was absolutely the place it felt the most amazing.

“Yeah, cum for me, baby…” He hit it again and again, and with each time, the bundle of nerves in your pussy tensed harder and faster. Every time his hard cock shoved into that place you had to concentrate not to scream his name.

It was _work_ not to scream. Each thrust became _unbearable_. The fifth or so time he slammed into you, it felt so impossibly good that you completely gave in.

“Yeah, Zao, _fuck me,”_ You whined as the clenching in your pussy vibrated and travelled up your entire body in a fast, white-hot wave of ecstasy.

This was it. You knew it the second you felt it.

Apparently, he knew it, too. He shoved his dick even deeper and faster into you while you rode out the orgasm — he knew exactly what he had to do to lengthen it, too.

Each passing second through the orgasm felt like _minutes_. In what probably was only a few ticks of the clock, he’d given you a pure, non drug-induced high that left you gasping for air.

As you were coming down from the heavens, he suddenly pulled out. His arms – which had been on your hips – quickly spun you around to face him.

You were still dazed, seeing fireworks, when he pressed his forehead to yours. Briefly, you heard a slick, repetitive moist sound coming from below his waist.

Finally, you looked down.

His right hand was pumping around his shining hard-on, still covered in your juices due to having just been inside of you. _“Ah, fuck…”_ He moaned hard as he finished himself off. The sight of him masturbating to what just happened almost made you horny again.

He crashed his lips to yours before exploding his creamy fluids all over your bare stomach.

Your eyes widened in shock. Even the temperature of his cum felt _hot_ on your skin.

“Mmmph, _____...” He murmured your name in soft exhilaration, still pressing kisses to your lips. “We finally _fucked_. Now I can die happy.”

You felt a smile tug at your lips. You could say you felt the same.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

After you two had gotten off your orgasm highs, you each got dressed and walked out of the office.

There, to your surprise, stood Allen, Oliver, and Flavio a way off to the side.

Allen noticed you both first. “Yo! We been looking _all_ over for you guys!”

Flavio casually turned with a Starbucks cup in his hand, “Oh, there you are! _Ciao_ darlings!~”

Oliver offered a sugary-sweet smile and a friendly wave in greetings. “We hope you pardon our intrusion, lovelies.”

Zao, still on top of the world, jumped over and welcomed them to his shop. “Hey! Didn’t know you were coming. What brings you to my kingdom?”

Allen pulled out his phone and showed Zao a picture. “Need me one of these, you got ‘em?”

Zao peeked up from the device and stared Allen in the eye. A beat later, he replied, “…Kinky.”

Oliver pouted like a nervous child, “H-He wouldn’t tell me what it was…”

Flavio burst out laughing. “Ahahaha! Because he knew you wouldn’t be able to handle it, Ollie-pop! I’m actually _pleasantly_ surprised you were able to come inside of here, anyway.” The sparkling Italian gestured to the naughty aisles of the sex shop in emphasis.

At that, Oliver blushed a deep red. “Y-You mustn’t remind me of this…”

Allen rolled his eyes. “ _Anyway_ , don’t mind the fuckin’ prude,” He waved his phone screen in front of Zao’s face and asked, “Just point me in the direction, will you?”

Zao was quiet for a moment. He tilted his head at Allen and then peered back to you. “Hey… you weren’t the one who knocked earlier, were you?”

Your cheeks warmed at the memory. Oh god, here we go.

Allen’s brows furrowed, “Yeah, that was me. What the hell took so long?”

Zao chuckled, winked at you, and then snidely responded, “Sorry… I was doing things.”

_Fuck it, I don’t care,_ you thought as you sniggered and held up a peace sign. “…I am ‘things’.”

_Several_ things happened in unison the exact moment that last word slipped from your mouth.

First, Allen’s iPhone fell out of his hand. Second, Flavio had been taking a sip of his Starbucks before your comment made him comically spray it out all over the air. And lastly, Oliver’s pale, freckled face turned a shade of burgundy, while his jaw practically hit the ground.

A few seconds later, Flavio was the first to recover. He wiped the corners of his mouth and shrieked, “ _No_ fucking way!”

Oliver clamped his hands over his ears, “Eek! M-My virgin ears mustn’t be tainted by such acts of obscenity!”

“Dude,” Allen’s ruby-red eyes calmly slid over to Zao, _“Nice.”_ He fist-bumped him, both grinning.

You groaned at their antics. “You guys are _so_ embarrassing.”

Flavio was already speed-texting. “Ohmygawd, wait till I tell everyone you two finally hooked up! Bahahaha, Luci’s gonna be sooo _jealous!~”_

You giggled into your hand, “Please _don’t_ …” Truthfully, you didn’t mind. Everyone knew you and Zao were together and it was bound to happen eventually.

“I… I didn’t think you had it in you, poppet…” Oliver was still feeling shy. “I’d thought we could be the pure, innocent angels together! Just you and me among these testosterone- _monsters!”_ He cried, feeling slightly betrayed now that he was probably the only one in the crew who’s never had sex.

Below his breath, Allen snickered and added, “Not anymore.”

Everyone laughed as Oliver struggled to look either you or Zao in the eye after that, as an adorable, flustered mess.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

The summer sun was shining brightly against the cerulean sky as you walked around Mission High’s deserted, quiet campus.

School doesn’t start for a few days, but you were wandering the enormous halls to learn where all your classes would be located. You weren’t nearly as nervous about starting the new school as you would’ve been had you _not_ met all of your friends already.

“What’s your fourth period?” Luciano asked as you both checked out your freshly printed schedules.

Your eyes trailed down the row of subjects to land on, “Chemistry.”

“Hmm,” Luciano peered at you with his unnervingly magenta irises. The maroon-colored pupils glimmered mischievously as he responded, “Same as me. Guess it’s because _you and I_ have chemistry.” He teased with a smooth, soft tone.

At this, you snorted. “Only in the literal sense of the term.”

_“Only?”_ He repeated, a classy smirk on his lips. “I think we have more.”

You rolled your eyes and placed the schedule back into your pocket. “Not this again…” Still, a smile crept its way to your face.

He avoided your gaze for a moment, and following a beat of silence, you feared deep down that he’d take the joke a bit further.

Finally, the Italian let out a small sigh and murmured, “It’s just not fair, _bella principessa._ I never even got a chance.”

At this, your cheeks warmed a bit. “A… A chance?”

You two currently stood in the middle of an endless hallway. Fluffy white clouds were painted across the blue sky and the quiet tranquility of the empty school emanated intrigue.

Luciano faced you directly, admiring your features. A soft breeze blew and caused both your hair and his to dance in the wind. A tanned arm gently reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as he said, “You _know_ what I mean. Do you remember the first thing I ever said to you?”

Your mind flashed back to that day at Allen’s house. _“You look a lot like my next girlfriend.”_ He’d said. Not that you… remembered it so clearly, because you didn’t. Or so you wanted to tell yourself.

“Yeah,” You giggled a bit, “And then Zao told you to back off.”

Losing his gentlemanly composure, Luciano groaned loudly, “Ugh, I _know_. That guy is _such_ a cock block! Ruining my pick-up lines like that!? Why is he _always_ getting the ones I like? Seriously, what’s so great about him anyway?” You could practically see a vein popping on the side of his head. He seemed to be approaching rant-mode – such a striking difference to his earlier flirting. He really seemed to have a split personality at times.

You laughed again, “Jealous much?” You’d unfortunately gained the trait from Allen that caused you to encourage his rage rather than calm it.

After all, that was better than acknowledging some of the things he said to you lately.

“Jealous? Of that bastard? No way,” Luciano shook his head, then lowered his voice. “But… jealous that he has you? _Maybe.”_ He gave you a sensuous wink.

This time, you were taken by surprise. He always acted like a playboy but this was a tad excessive. You felt your face heat up again – after all, you could only handle _so much_ teasing from an Italian god like him.

His auburn hair shined red in the sunlight, his silver earrings glinted with each graceful movement and his unique magenta eyes seemed to glow when they locked on you.

Like his brother, Luciano had always been one to dress sharp. Currently, he was in a khaki Giorgio Armani button-up shirt. It was tucked into straight-leg Valentino pants, then accessorized with a brown leather belt and a flashy Rolex watch.

“Um, Luci…” You began quietly. “What’s been up with you lately?”

He crossed his arms and grinned slyly, “Heard you and Zao got it on. Such a shame he got to you before me,” He leaned his face alarmingly close to yours, enough to feel his breath on your lips. A whiff of his exotic cologne drifted to your senses. “Things could’ve been so different, _bella_ …”

“D-Different how?”

Wistfully, he purred, “If you and I met before him.”

A chill ran down your spine and you instinctively backed away. “Y-… You’re scaring me Luci,” You half-teased.

Suddenly, a brief — nearly impossible to catch — expression of _hurt_ struck his face.

Your heart instantly lurched. For that one moment, the idea that Luciano _might actually like you_ made you feel all kinds of guilty.

However, just before you could confirm those fears, the look was gone – and replaced with another suave smile. “Well if you’re single again sometime, come find me.”

Eyebrows raised, you shakily replied, “N-Noted…” At this point, you could feel a blush creeping down your neck. Could you have been hallucinating this whole time? The air around you two felt entirely changed.

“Still sucks this Italian charm didn’t work on you, though.” He grumbled almost inaudibly to himself.

The tense atmosphere made you nervous enough to look anywhere _but_ at him. Your eyes glided down the hallway, at first in an attempt to avoid Luciano, but then landed on two nearing students. “Oh, hello,” You greeted, thankful for a distraction.

They looked like they were doing the exact same thing you and Luciano were doing – going through their new schedules and finding where the classes would be. “Hello there!” A friendly, feminine voice responded.

“Luciano. Long time no see,” Said the male by her side, his voice a dreary monotone.

The Italian’s neutral visage didn’t change upon seeing them. “Ion, Natasha. Forgot you two existed for a while.” He chuckled lowly, “What’s up?”

_Ion? That name sounds familiar…_ you thought to yourself.

From what you could tell, it was a pair of siblings. The brother was a towering, _terrifying_ redhead dressed in all black. His eyes were shineless and, strangely, the color of carnation-pink. He could’ve been a whole _two feet_ taller than his sister.

Speaking of which, she had a large bow in her long, straight brown hair. Her eyes were green and she wore a flowing pink dress. “I’m starting high school next week!” She chimed happily. Her voice, like her brother’s, was laced with an eastern European accent.

_Wait… Ion…_ suddenly, it clicked in your mind. – _is the Russian that Zao hates?!_

They seemed as normal as anyone else as they politely conversed with Luciano. _How could Zao hate him? He doesn’t seem bad at all,_ you thought to yourself.

“Oh, right. _____, this is Ion and his little sister Natasha.”

You smiled. “Nice to meet you both.”

Luciano discreetly nudged you and whispered, “Ion used to be in our… circle, I guess you could say. But at the end of the last school year, Zao basically shoved him out.”

Your eyes widened, “Really?”

Unaware of your little side-chat, Natasha sweetly complimented you with, “I like your outfit!”

You grinned at her. “Awh, thank you! I love your dress.”

Ion’s eyes met yours. You felt like you had to tilt your head up far to see him – this guy was _well_ over six feet tall. “I have heard a lot about you, _____. You seem like a very nice person.”

_No way… is there really a rivalry between him and Zao?_

Oh right, he had explained to you his complicated relationship with Yekaterina, so these must be her younger siblings. Still, that didn’t give him a right to despise them.

You were suddenly determined to find out what happened last year. “Thanks! I’m surprised I haven’t met you yet. I moved here over the summer,” You began. “Allen’s my next-door neighbor and Zao’s my boyfriend.”

You half-expected Ion to grimace when you spoke Zao’s name – just as Zao would any time someone said ‘Ion’ – but his bored expression didn’t change. “Zao Wang? I haven’t heard from him in quite some time. Please send him my regards; I sure hope he is doing well.”

Your jaw nearly dropped. You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but it most certainly wasn’t _that_.

“Seriously? I-I mean, I will, and he’s doing okay. I’m sorry, I… I don’t mean to sound surprised but he, uh… doesn’t really…—”

“-Doesn’t speak warmly of me?” Ion managed a tiny smile. “No need to be afraid, I understand.”

Off to your side, Luciano snickered. “You look like a deer caught in headlights, _____.”

You snapped out of it and decided it was safe to ask. “Yeah. What happened?”

“It’s a bit of a long story. Do you have time?”

You glanced at Luciano, to which he elegantly nodded once for you to proceed.

“I do, if you don’t mind.”

And thus Ion began to explain his and Zao’s personal _vendetta_.

Turns out, Ion used to be a part of your friend group — which tightly contained Allen, Oliver, Flavio, Matt, Luciano, Lutz, Kuro, and Zao. Loosely, it also consisted of Francois, Roland, Gilen, and… Ion.

However, Ion was one of the few friends who didn’t approve of Zao’s drug dealing, and was _the_ only one besides Oliver who wanted him to quit drugs entirely. Unlike the Brit, Ion wasn’t simply able to brush it off; it bothered him enough to constantly voice his concerns.

Zao already had a distaste for Russians, and for Yekaterina as a person, so it just made sense that they kept away from each other. Plus, in the past, Zao had seen Ion’s pleading to quit the underworld as a threat – most likely due to his drug-induced paranoia. It caused him to believe Ion was trying to get his guard down, take his business and spy on him for Yekaterina. He called them “commie bastards” on the regular. In reality, Ion genuinely just wanted him to be healthy and happy.

After all, Ion made it _clear_ he detested drugs, alcohol, and violence. He was a pacifist who only wanted peace in the world.

At that point, even Luciano backed him up. He helped explain that Ion was just a “harmless loner” that Zao took unnecessary offense towards.

Honestly, it explained so much. _Zao needs to stop being a kid about this,_ you thought, eyeing little Natasha. She’d been quiet throughout the entire exchange, though she seemed to already be familiar with it.

You’d even told Ion how the first time you met Zao, he had stolen his wallet – to which Ion chuckled, saying, _“I know. I just_ hate _to fight.”_

Afterwards, you told them you’d already met their older sister during your first visit to the red light district.

They seemed to think highly of her. She did her best to take care of them no matter how difficult it was. Their parents lived in Saratov, Russia – which was generally seen as a low-income part of the country, but they’d sent them to America to live a better life. They’d put Yekaterina in charge and she’d do any means necessary for her siblings to be happy.

Ion didn’t quite approve of his sister’s type of business — just like he didn’t approve of Zao’s — but she was the only parental figure they had and he knew beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“So, will you be convincing Zao to come back to school?” Ion asked after a few seconds of silence.

By now, the four of you were sitting on a picnic table near the cafeteria. There were still no other students in sight.

“Yeah, I did. He’s coming back this year, don’t worry.”

Natasha let out a girlish giggle, “Even when I was in middle school, I heard stories about Zao all the time.”

Your attention snapped to her in surprise. “You _did?_ Stories like what?”

Without intonation, Ion flatly stated, “To the stoner crowd, he was considered a ‘legend’. Their talks carried on even to other cliques, then other grades, then other schools. He was toxic, and his name lived on like a parasite.”

Luciano rolled his eyes, “ _Tch_ , agreed. That bastard was known as the infamous freshman drug dealer. He almost got caught a few times, got suspended all the time. Once during an assembly, the _whole_ fuckin’ school saw him running from campus security all the way to the damn parking lot.”

At this, you gasped. “ _Running?_ For what?”

“To ditch his stash of opium.”

Seconds later, you facepalmed.

“That boy is an enigma,” Ion concluded.

Luciano begrudgingly nodded. “I hate to admit it, but there are so many things about Zao that no one knows about. Like… how the hell do him, Kuro, Yonsu, and Jin all live by themselves? Where in the _fuck_ are their parents?”

“Their situation cannot be anything like ours,” Ion mused.

“No one knows what’s up with them,” Luciano gazed at you with his cunning magenta eyes. “Zao won’t tell.”

**-D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T-**

Luciano drives a showy red Maserati and treats it like his baby.

Currently, he was pulling out of Mission High’s parking lot. “Where to next, _amore_? Coffee? Back-to-school shopping? Or,” He peeked at you from beneath his shiny Prada sunglasses, “How about _my place?~”_

Your face burned at the thought of going to his house alone. You’d only ever been there when Flavio was also home. “E-Eyes on the road, Mafioso.”

He chuckled and switched his attention back to the streets. “I know, I know. You probably wanna see that lucky man of yours.”

You checked your phone, only to see no new messages from Zao. Hm, that was unusual. You’d be lying if you said all that talk about Zao’s mysteriousness didn’t bother you.

After all, why _hadn’t_ you ever heard anything about his parents before? “Yeah, I should probably stop by. Can you take me, Luci?” You grinned at him and blinked angelically.

He sank down in his seat, gripping the steering wheel with both fists. “…I fucking guess,” He growled out with a pout.

About ten minutes passed by. _Still no call from Zao, weird,_ you thought as the car passed through the Dragon Gate of San Francisco’s Chinatown.

When the Maserati rolled up in front of the house, you hopped out and blew your driver a thank you kiss – to which he blushed furiously, then proceeded to loudly rant in lightning-fast Italian, _“Come osi usare il mio affetto per te per convincermi a guidare a CASA DEL TUO STUPIDO RAGAZZO!”_ [“How dare you use my affection for you to convince me to drive you to your _stupid boyfriend’s house!”]_

…Not that you understood Italian.

After he drove off, you shrugged, thereby deciding to deal with his wrath later.

With a sigh, you looked up and faced the modern Chinese-style house.

It was quite hidden. It was in a corner street and surrounded by towering stone walls, which were covered in dark green vines. There was a red Asian-style arch over the entryway of the front yard, which had Chinese symbols carved into the front. The black roof’s edges were pointed upward in a modern variation of traditional Chinese-style architecture. Red and gold lanterns hung from the weeping willows trees that sat on either side of the house, and along the cobblestone pathway were anywhere from tiny-to-medium sized bonsai trees.

You hadn’t asked Zao if you could come over, but he was probably home anyway.

Without thinking, you walked up and knocked on the front door.

A few seconds later, it opened up to reveal a red-clad, attractive male with a dark brown ponytail, Asian features and… _amber_ eyes.

Your lips parted in surprise. “Oh, Yao! It’s nice to see you again.”

He smiled politely. “_____, what a pleasant surprise. Please come in!” He slid the door open wider and beckoned you inside.

You suddenly felt like you _definitely_ should have called before coming over. “Is Zao home?” You asked as you stepped in the doorway.

He shook his head, “He’s out with Kuro and Yonsu; it’s just Jin and I here. What brings you by?”

You glanced towards the living room, only to catch sight of Jin on the couch sipping a vibrant cup of Boba milk tea. With the thick blue straw to his lips, his round doe-eyes met yours and he greeted, “_____!~ I’ve missed you!” English flashcards and textbooks were surrounding the coffee table in front of him – Yao must have just been practicing with him.

The elder grinned at him in adoration; he seemed to view him as a child. “Good work Jin. You may take a break now.”

“Yay!” He got up and ran over to you, “Are you here to see Big Brother?”

You patted his soft, messy hair. “Yeah, I came here to talk with him. But maybe,” You peeked at Yao, “Your teacher can tell me instead?”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yao’s voice went stern. “Absolutely.” He turned to the petite, baby-faced fifteen-year-old, “Jin. I need you to go to your room for now.”

His thick eyebrows furrowed in worry, “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Hush, child. The adults need to talk.”

“ _Argh_ , fine…” With a huff, he was gone.

Once you heard a bedroom door slam, you faced the boy who seemed to have a thousand years’ worth of wisdom in one slender, young body. “Yao, I…” You began, but quickly trailed off as memories of your last chat with him resurfaced in your mind:

_“Yao. If you don't mind me asking... why are you_ really _here?”_

_This caused him to flinch. “Oh... my apologies, ______. I'm afraid the true reason might hurt you.” He paused. “But I stopped you to tell you something you've probably already been cautioned about.”_

_You exhaled. “Is it about dating Zao?”_

_He chuckled lowly, but it was without humor. “So you've heard.”_

_“Maybe... but I don't think I've heard as much as you think.”_

_“That makes it worse, so to speak.”_

_“So what exactly did you want to say?” You knew your voice would start shaking next. He said the true reason he's here might hurt you? How?_

_“The same thing I'm sure your friends have told you – heed our warnings about him, _____. You don't know as much as you believe.”_

The flashback made you feel even more nervous.

Still, whatever deep, dark secrets Zao was hiding, you knew you’d love him just the same. Deciding to cut to the chase, you cleared your throat and firmly asked, “Can you tell me about Zao’s parents?”

Yao’s pretty face was blank for a few seconds. Once the words fully processed, he uncharacteristically groaned and threw his head back, _“Ai yah,_ _I_ have to be the one to tell you? _How_ has that ignoramus not told you himself yet?! Ah, anyways,” He shook his head, composed himself, and grinned sunnily at you. “I’ll make us some tea.”

A little while later, you were sitting at the dining room table sipping green tea with your boyfriend’s calmer, wiser, major look-alike of a cousin.

“Where to begin?” Yao wondered aloud as he stared down at his cup. “Ah, easy… it may seem difficult to believe, but… Zao comes from an iconic millionaire family.”

You had the cup to your mouth as he said that. Bad idea.

When the liquid went down the wrong pipe, you tried to respond but a sick gurgle happened instead. “Ecchhh _acchhhh-!”_

Yao’s eyes widened in amusement. Stifling a laugh, he shakily asked, “Y-You okay?” He couldn’t help it – a quiet snort escaped past his closed, grinning lips.

You took another drink and after a few swallows and breaths, it went away. “I…” Your jaw was dropped, “-can’t… _believe it._ Zao’s parents are _millionaires?!”_

Yao nodded with his eyelids closed. “His parents are very high-class, treated and recognized as celebrities, and thus act like royalty. They are extremely high-profile, and...” He peeked at you with one eye open and half-jokingly remarked, “They are like your ‘Kardashians’, one could say.”

This time, it was _your_ turn to unwillingly let out a snort. “Seriously?”

“Indeed. No matter his parents’ pettiness, the people of China still respect them greatly. His father is the CEO of an extremely successful corporate business,” Yao took a careful sip of his steaming tea, then continued. “However… Zao couldn’t stand the responsibility and work-centric lifestyle that was strictly enforced upon him by his parents. More importantly, he despised the communism in his own country. He eventually got older, rebelled, and took part in a protest for democracy.”

Your brows went up in shock, “He did?”

“Yes. In fact,” Yao’s amber irises wandered down the hall. “Jin was there too.”

“Really? How’d they meet?” Abruptly, you were struck with the realization that you had no idea how Zao met _any_ of his roommates.

“Little Jin was a homeless orphan boy that Zao met in the streets of Hong Kong. At first, he spent time with him only out of pity, but then started to admire his freedom and resilience. Jin began to idolize him; he’d do anything for him. He constantly followed him around. They’ve come so _far_ …” His eyes were distant, melancholic. He finished with, “Now, Zao has practically adopted him, against his own will.”

_Is it twisted to think that’s adorable?_ You wondered. “What about Yonsu?”

Yao sighed, “They also met by fate. Yonsu was a poor, young soul floating around in Chinese foster care, originally born in South Korea. He was a starry-eyed child poker dealer that Zao met in a shady Shanghai gambling den.” He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation as he continued, “Yonsu saw another young, rebellious teen and instantly attached himself to him. They had similar goals – Yonsu craved the American dream, and Zao was trying to move out of the country. Their partnership turned out beneficial, even with Yonsu’s younger age. Zao was something like his mentor.”

You soaked in the information, slowly letting it sink in. There was still someone else you needed to learn about. “And lastly… Kuro?”

He let out a quiet laugh below his breath. “Ah, Kuro… the wicked childhood friend.”

You leaned in closer to him and asked, “Were his parents from a wealthy family too?”

“Indeed. Their parents are elites of similar status – Kuro’s hailing from Japan. The Hondas visited often in their luxury plane for elaborate dinner parties at the Wang estate. Although…” Yao’s expression turned wary, “Even _I_ could see the parental abuse in Kuro’s family. So, both young Zao and Kuro disregarded their top-tier bloodlines and favored a life of drugs, sex and alcohol. Even so, no one ever expected them to run away to America together.”

As Yao further explained, all of Zao’s future roommates helped him in a semi-large protest and when it backfired, they fled the country and anger of his parents. There was so much hate and dishonor on him and his family. They were furious with him, and Zao despised how everything worked there.

He got his parents to sign the emancipation papers, grabbed his three loyal friends, got on a flight to California and never looked back.

Still, his parents searched for him.

Well, they didn’t _personally_ search for him, but they hired people to do the job. They had connections, after all.

_If Zao took one step back in China, who_ knows _what they would do to him?_ You pondered stressfully. _Force him to stay? Punish him? Try to straighten him out and take away all of his freedom?_

It turned out that Yao, as his cousin, was sent here to take him back.

You were quiet for a while. _Would he really take Zao away?_

“I will not be taking him back by force, by any means,” Yao gently clarified. “But, _____... please just try to convince him to come home.”

Your eyes snapped up to him, wide and beginning to sting with tears. “W-Why would I do that?”

He exhaled with a dismal look on his face, “I can see why he likes you. You’re probably the only one he’ll listen to anymore.”

Your expression hardened, “But if they’re so angry, what if they hurt him?”

“They’ll be less harsh on him — maybe even welcome him — if he would just emerge from the shadows and return home himself. Looking for him is simply making things worse; it’s been three years now. You understand, _don’t you?”_ His voice rose a notch, getting a hint of frustration, “You care for him, don’t you?!”

Your mind went on overload.

_Of course I care for him!_

But then, wouldn’t that mean you’d let him go?

Would it be selfish of you to keep him here?

_No, this can’t be happening,_ you panicked. He had to leave. He… _was_ leaving. He’d warned you of this before, and yet… this still felt unreal.

Unwillingly, the time he’d last mentioned this replayed in your brain.

_"But... what if I have to leave?"_

_There it was – the haunting new reveal you'd expected to stress over. "...Leave?"_

_"What if I need to go back to China someday?"_

_"But why?"_

_"My parents..."_

_"W-Would they... force you to come back?"_

_"It's a possibility."_

_You were quiet for a while. His words had left a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Zao? Leaving? No... you couldn't imagine living here without him._

_"But... it's not for sure, right?" You'd still grasp onto the slivers of a chance he wouldn't move across the planet._

_"Not for sure."_

_As long as it's not solid in the future..._ _"Then... can we just..." You inhaled deeply to get over the storm of emotions that had come over you during the past couple hours. "Can we just enjoy the time we have together?"_

_For the first time since you latched onto him, he relaxed his tense muscles and embraced you tighter. "Heh... of course bǎobèi.”_

You’d asked him, “Can we just enjoy the time we have together?”

Those words were spoken only a few days ago.

If only you had known that the time you had together would only be those small amount of days, maybe then you wouldn’t have felt your heart shatter.

“It pains me to say this, _____, but don’t think about yourself. Think about what’s best for him.” Yao had calmed down and seemed to genuinely feel guilty for raising his voice. “I’m so sorry, _tiánxīn_. You’re a wonderful girl and you deserve better. Even if you choose to stay in contact with my cousin, there’s no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t visit. Maybe even come back to live here after a while. So don’t lose hope, okay?”

You took in several deep breaths, trying to relax a bit. “He’d come back?”

“ _Yes_ , absolutely. I just want him and his family to be happy. They _will_ _be_ if he stops hiding from them; one phone call might be all it takes.”

_One phone call?_

After all this time, Zao was finally your boyfriend. Could you really do this to him? Even if it was for his own good?

You knew one thing for sure – a boy needs his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i know MC was supposed to be a virgin but like,, finishing this story is going to be my farewell to writing fanfiction (/cries), meaning this would be my first & last sex scene. so i decided to go fuck it and have fun rather than worry about a 'losing virginity' type of scene. lol let them have experienced sex *kardashian voice* its what zao deserves
> 
> anyways, thanks for reading boo, the final chapter is comin in several year-- oops i mean in like an hour.
> 
> {btw, i made a dragon district playlist on spotify, i noticed there are a couple others based off this fic from other people so here's the direct link to mine https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3WRPu9AhVXEyBf6FWqguPW


	21. He Loves You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter guys. i started writing this fic 5 years ago and now that it's done i can finally gain closure & peace. what a wild ride.
> 
> here's to the end, babes.

The summer sun was starting to go down. Hues of pink, gold, and blue streamed through fluffy lavender clouds.

The shining circle of light was beginning to touch on the ocean horizon. The clear, azure water gently lapped on the sand, leaving only foam and seashells behind.

You sat on a beach towel, knees up, with your arms draped around them. The glowing Golden Gate bridge, rocks the size of mountains, and crooning seagulls were all in your direct line of sight. Still, your gaze was down between your arms, hiding the beautiful view of Marshall’s Beach.

This was one of the most secluded, spectacular beaches in San Francisco. With its photogenic sights, rugged terrain, soft white sand and beautiful birds, one would consider this place a California gem.

However, the reason you were here was enough to keep your head down.

The beach was misty and deserted – the only sounds that came to your ears were the ocean waves and flying birds. When you took in a stressful deep breath, a salty sea breeze reached your nose.

You’d contemplated Zao’s situation all last night. You still wanted him, _needed_ him, and you’d stay by his side as long as he was here. However, you understood that you needed to push him to speak to his family again. He owed them that much.

You’d told him you needed to talk about something important with him. He seemed to already know what it was, even without you telling him – it was obvious in the way he was being solemn, standing several feet away from you, gazing into the north Pacific.

“So… it seems you know what I want to talk about,” You finally spoke after a few minutes of silence.

He sighed and turned around. His brows were lowered, his expression somber – and yet a tiny smile was on his lips. With the warm sunset and glimmering water behind him, he shined with a golden radiance — and it almost felt like a goodbye. You nearly broke into tears at that very moment.

“I know it’s way overdue,” He said, making sure to keep that small smile as he spoke. With that, he began walking towards you and sat down. “I’ve wanted to explain for a long time, but… it was so hard. I just wanted you to _like me_. Now that we’re together, _finally_ , I…” He trailed off, shook his head, and finished, “Go ahead. Ask me anything you want. I’ll answer the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Frankly, you were a bit surprised. “Wait. How did you know that I found out?”

He shrugged, “Yao said you stopped by yesterday.”

“And… a-are you mad that he told me?”

His brows raised, “’Mad’?” He chuckled, “Have you ever seen me mad?”

 _Nope,_ you realized. _Nothing bothers this guy. But… if that’s the case, then how… was he so angry with his paren—_ you stopped that train of thought. No more wondering. Now was the time for asking.

“I’m actually pretty relieved that Yao was the one who told you. I’m sure he totally botched the story, though.”

Your lips parted in shock. “What?! Botched it?” The story seemed as believable as any other canon backstory. _How_ and _what_ of it could not be true?!

He laughed quietly. “That reaction right there tells me all I need to know.”

_Oh my god…_

You straightened your legs out, stretched, and tried to get more comfortable. Though no matter how much you squirmed, you had no idea where to begin. “O-Okay, so… is it true your parents are millionaires? And you wanted to fight for democracy?”

“Yes and yes.”

Now that _those_ things were out of the way, your next question was _why_. “I mean… not to sound like the scum of the earth, but if _my_ parents were millionaires, I think I’d enjoy my life a bit more. So, why… didn’t you?”

He grinned and reached up for his military hat. Briefly, your vision flashed back to that day you visited him in the hospital, after his stupid parkour accident with Allen:

_“This hat belonged to my martial arts mentor.”_

_“I saw him every day. I saw him more than my real dad, isn't that funny?” His stoic eyes clearly said that he didn't find it funny at all. “So, he was more like a guardian, a parent, and an inspiration to me than my real father. I got really close to him, too. He was a wise man. He knew I could take care of myself — he believed in me, when no one else did.”_

He turned the hat around backwards. You weren’t sure if that was a new nervous tic of his. “My parents weren’t really around, ever. I was practically raised by my martial arts teacher. It was lonely, but that old man made it better. Plus, we weren’t exactly a normal family.”

“Yao mentioned your family was famous – almost like celebrities.”

“Yeah. I _hated_ that. The media was always _scrutinizing_ everything I did; they were always looking for a way I’d taint my parents’ name.” His tone rose a bit as he added, “That fancy, picture-perfect, secretly super-strict lifestyle wasn’t for me. I just wasn’t wired that way.”

You absolutely couldn’t imagine him living like that either. “I agree,”

“I couldn’t _handle_ that life. Every day was fully planned out for me, strict schoolwork, no free time, all practice and learning and getting ready to work at my dad’s company. I didn’t _have_ a life of my own; I felt like I was their robot built to take over the business and nothing else.”

You never would have imagined this boy was such a royal descendent. “That must have been so hard.”

He was such a free spirit. He lived on his own just fine; he was smart, capable, and didn’t require the constant parental guidance. Here, he got to be his own person, rather than there — where he was whatever his mom and dad wanted him to be.

“And then there’s the cold, hard rest of it.”

You tilted your head, “Huh? What else?”

He sat cross-legged, and when you asked, he grinned slyly and crossed his arms as well. “You think who I became was shady? _Well_ …” He looked down and chuckled darkly, “You could say I learned from the best.”

“What? _Who?”_ You thought you’d die from anticipation.

“My dad was a ‘CEO of a successful corporate business’? More like… my dad was a fucking _drug kingpin.”_

Your jaw nearly fell to the sand. “No _way!”_

He nodded. “Don’t get me wrong – he did both. Once he got to the top of the corporate world, he went down a dark path. My parents were way more scandalous, notorious and _fucking criminal_ than they claimed _I_ was when I fought back against them.”

“And… what happened after that?”

He rolled his eyes at the memory of his parents, “They kept their secrets pretty well. But when I found out, I was _done_. I blackmailed them into emancipating me, and since they were already so furious about the protesting and riots I was leading, they agreed. And… the rest is history.” He sarcastically did jazz hands and looked away.

Finally, your last question. “Do you think they loved you?”

He sighed and looked down, toying with a stray thread of the beach towel. “I think about that sometimes. I wonder if they just wanted me to be successful. Were they looking out for me because they loved me, or using me? I mean, like… when we went on vacations, actually _spent time_ together, I guess…-”

“-That’s when it felt like they cared?”

“Yeah. Only when work wasn’t involved.”

You peered into his face, trying to get to him. “So they did love you.”

“Uh… I don’t know, maybe? It’s just crazy because I know they’ve been looking for me, but I have no idea _why_. Is it because they miss me? Or, is it because they want to kill me?” He chuckled, but it was without humor.

You shook your head. “They don’t want to kill you, Zao; you’re their son.”

“But what if they want me dead because I know their dirty secret?” He was half-joking now.

You smiled, “Now you’re just being paranoid.”

“So… what do you think?” He visibly relaxed a bit – he pressed his palms to the sand and leaned back. He gazed into the lowering sunset.

The sky’s swirl of pink, gold, and lavender had become even more prominent. The tide was low, and the golden light reflected off the spacious amount of wet sand to produce a mirror-life effect. The beautiful colors of the sunset and the dreamy clouds flashed off the earth like a glass surface.

“I think… you should still contact them. Tell them what’s going, and how you feel. You don’t have to tell them where you live or that you’re coming home, but just hear their voices for a while. They couldn’t possibly be mad at you for calling them. In fact, I’m sure they’ll be… relieved.”

His expression turned apprehensive, “You think so?”

“I do. I’m sure they’ve just been worried. You have to talk to them, Zao.”

“But what if I’m afraid that-” His voice caught in his throat, “th-that they want nothing to do with me?”

You leaned in and embraced him tightly. He welcomed the hug and squeezed you back. “Family is one of the most important things in this world. You can’t just erase them from your life, or spend the rest of eternity wondering what _could have_ happened rather than just… finding out.”

He sniffed, and you feared he might be crying. Your face was pressed to his chest as he mumbled out, “If I call them, maybe they’ll… _understand?_ I-I know it’s probably wishful thinking, but maybe… they’ll let me take up residence here for a while longer…”

You pulled away, only far enough to grip his teary face between your hands. You pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before responding, “Only one way to find out.”

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

You weren’t sure how much time had passed.

The sun had finished setting. A dark sky settled overhead, scattered with twinkling stars and a full moon. The Golden Gate bridge was lit up now, glowing beams of headlights stretching down its pathway. The day may be done but San Francisco was still awake; millions of little lights spread across the dazzling cityscape to reveal a sleepless nightlife.

 _I must have dozed off,_ you realized as you sat up. The sand felt so comfortable beneath the towel that you hadn’t even noticed.

 _Hm, where’s Zao?_ You glanced around, but all you saw were large boulders and mountain-like stone cliffs. The moonlight reflected off the ocean and shined a brilliant silver.

The last thing you remembered was him agreeing to call his family, then getting up to leave and do so in private.

 _He’s not back yet?_ You began to panic. _What’s taking so long? Did it not go well?_

You swiftly pulled out your phone and checked the time. You gaped at the fact that a whole two hours had passed by.

Instantly, you jumped up and re-scanned the vicinity. Finally, your eyes detected movement from behind a ten-foot-tall slab of stone.

“Zao!” You ran up to him, nearly tripping when your feet caught in the sand.

This was the moment of truth.

His response would make or break your new relationship with him.

He stepped out a bit further, but he was fully shrouded in shadows. His fiery-red irises seemed to glow in the darkness.

When you approached him and came to a halt, standing face-to-face with him, the moonlight illuminated enough of his outline, though the brim of his hat continued to shade his expression.

“What happened?” You softly asked.

A few seconds of silence passed. Your heart throbbed, preparing for the worst. With each passing beat, your eyes begun to sting with tears.

Finally, his lips twitched into a bewitching grin.

His sharp, pearly-white canines sparkled beneath the light of the moon, and you could have sworn you felt your heart stop.

“You were right. They’ve been worried sick about me,” At this, you choked back a sob. He went on with, “They agreed to my requests as long as I come visit them, at least once a year.”

You stared at him, eyes wide. “D-Does that mean…”

Impossibly, his smile grew wider. “It means I can still live here, yes.”

 _“Yes!”_ You dove into his arms, and you both fell into a fit of hysteria. He caught you and twirled you around, enough times to get you dizzy, and as you both laughed your hearts out, you two fell to the sand.

He landed on top of you. Grinning hard and getting up to just his elbows, he leaned into your face and finished, “They’ve finally forgiven me, _____. I had no idea. It’s all thanks to you.”

By now, you were crying tears of joy, rather than despair. “No; it was _you_ who gathered the courage to call them, Zao.”

He laughed, “Either way, now I really don’t have to sell drugs anymore. I can safely go back to school. This is _insane_.”

“This is… the start of your new life.” You told him dreamily.

With that, he collapsed over you in painfully exhausted relief.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

Today was finally the day.

You moved here to San Francisco on your first day of summer vacation. Now, today was the start of the new school year.

So much had changed since then. Before, you had no friends here, no social life and especially no boyfriend. Everything was different now.

Finding out Zao would still be able to live here made everything feel right in the world. There were no more secrets between you two; everything had finally come into the light. _Finally_ , you could have a normal relationship with him – even down to going to school with him. You cringed at the memory of simply getting him to _enroll_ in school, what with his past of truancy.

Currently, you were getting into Allen’s shiny black Jeep Commander.

He and Matt were riding shotgun. Now that they’d made up, Matt was able to move back in with them. He’d been unhappy rooming with Francois, after all.

“Ready for prison?” Allen joked as he started up the vehicle.

Matt slid his sunglasses over his eyes and groaned, “I’m gonna take a nap.”

You scanned their outfits out of curiosity. Ultimately, you could tell a lot from a person’s back-to-school ensemble.

Allen was in a white V-neck tee, loose ripped jeans and red Converse. His signature Aviators and silver dog tag necklace completed his look.

Meanwhile, Matt was in a red flannel that looked like its sleeves had been ripped off. His dirty-blonde hair was messy and his lilac eyes were clearly sleep-deprived, all of which added to his disheveled appearance.

“Are we picking up anyone else?” You asked as Allen pulled out of the parking space.

He turned up the music, loud, and shouted over the song, “Yeah, Oliver, Lutz, and the Vargas bros!”

You glanced behind you to see a whole other row of seats. _Whoa, I didn’t realize his Jeep could hold up to eight people_ , you thought. _But, even better then. No wonder they carpool._

Soon afterward, he pulled up to the first stop, and Oliver cheerily hopped in. “Good morning friends!~” He chimed as he sat to your right.

Your eyes widened upon seeing him. What a _pastel prince._ Soft pinks and blues enveloped him. “I love your outfit, Ollie!”

A sky-blue flower crown rested over his strawberry-blonde hair, and a design of warm sunset clouds spread over his pale pink long-sleeve tee. He wore white corduroys and a light blue muffin necklace that matched his large cerulean irises. Overall, the colors complimented his ghostly pale skin, precious red freckles, pink hair and naturally rosy lips.

“Thank you poppet!~ And Allen, you’re looking rather ravishing today!”

The American rolled his eyes, “Rather what now?”

“So tired…” Matt grumbled to no one in particular.

As you and Oliver conversed back and forth about the upcoming school year, several minutes passed and yet another house came into view.

When the Jeep came to a stop, you heard a door open up, this time to your left.

 _“Guten Morgen_ you fucks!”

Your gaze snapped up to a grinning, towering German. “Oh hey Lutz! Where’s Gilen?!”

“Aw he graduated, remember?” He answered as he slid in to the seat on your left. He was so huge that you had to scoot closer to tiny, fragile Oliver. At least this way you both had more space.

“Miss him so much!~” Oliver sang. “It was so cute how he would follow us around last year.”

Lutz nodded, a wistful smile on his normally intimidating face. “He’s off to university with Roland this year. He’ll take good care of him,” He paused, shifting his expression to a playfully warning one. “Or _else!”_

As Oliver laughed, you looked Lutz over, and couldn’t help but remember why you always thought he looked like a soldier.

First off, he was clad in his usual light gray tank top, army-green cargo pants and dark combat boots. His black military hat shaded his facial scars, which clashed with his thin, sharp, secretly _friendly_ lavender eyes.

“Jesus fuck, I feel like a goddamn bus driver,” Allen griped from the driver’s seat. “Let’s go pick up those stupid Italy bros and head out.”

A few streets passed by. The Jeep was getting louder and louder with its newer occupants; you had no idea how noisy it was about to get when the two rowdiest dudes of the group were next to be picked up.

This time, you caught sight of them _before_ the Commander pulled to a stop.

“Oh my _god_ ,” You hollered, “Those two look _amazing!”_

Even from down the street, you could see how good they looked, which shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise seeing as this was _Flavio_ and _Luciano_ you were talking about.

They were both standing at the corner of a street, waiting. Flavio was adjusting his freshly styled hair and Luciano was looking bored, scrolling through his phone. _Damn, even just standing there, they look like Italian supermodels,_ you thought with a laugh.

They were both dressed in striking designer outfits, Flavio’s more colorful and flashy, while Luciano kept it dark and classy. You knew better than anything that they only donned super fancy Italian luxury brands – Flavio wore Versace and Luciano in Armani.

When the car came to a stop, Lutz rolled his window down and teasingly flashed Luciano a middle finger. “In the back, Boss!”

The Italian’s magenta eyes scanned the inside of the open window, noticed all three of the backseats were taken, then furiously switched his gaze to Allen. “You got us _last?!”_

Allen rolled his window down as well and laughed, “Your fault for calling me a vegan pussy last night, you spaghetti-ass piece of shit!”

He threw his head back and groaned, “You mean I’m gonna have to crawl all over them like a goddamn _animal?_ Any of you ever heard of _personal space?!”_

Flavio sauntered around to the other side of the car, opened up the door and cooed, “Calm down _fratello_ , watch and learn!” Gracefully, he climbed in, stuck a knee between you and Oliver, then launched himself into the second row of seats. “S-See?” He gestured to himself safely in the back, “Easy!” He instantly began un-wrinkling his clothes, much to Luciano’s disgust.

Allen used a hand to lower his sunglasses, peeking at him from the window. “Get in loser, we’re gonna be late.”

Luciano grumbled something incoherent in Italian as he opened up the door to Lutz’s side. Grumpily, he began to maneuver his way to the back. “This is worse than the fuckin’ school bus,” He grouched.

You heard Matt and Allen snicker from the front seat, and you knew whatever was about to happen next could not be good.

As Luciano attempted to crawl over the seat, Matt playfully (?) tugged on his ankle, causing the Italian to fall face-first into your lap.

“W-Whoa,” You breathed, your skin blushing as his face pressed to your thighs. “Are you okay?”

Instead of getting angry like you thought he would, he chuckled darkly at the close proximity. “Actually…” He gently rubbed his cheek against your lap, grinning roguishly, “I could just stay here, if you don’t mind.”

The memory of him toying with you the other day instantly came to mind. Getting flustered, you sputtered out, “I-I mind!” You hurriedly shoved him over the seat.

Lutz let out a taunting laugh. “Hey _Schatz_ , quit flirting with Luci!”

A few raunchy catcalls, whistles, and hollers emanated from the group, mainly from Allen, Flavio, and Lutz.

Your jaw nearly dropped. “I… I wasn’t _flirting!”_

Luciano peered at you from above your seat, his palms resting on your headrest. “…Wish you were.” He teased with a gentle smirk.

** -D-R-A-G-O-N-D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T- **

The commute to Mission High was stunningly long. Bay Area morning traffic was absolutely no joke.

As the crowded Jeep filled with boyish cackles, you began to wonder how the rest of the student body saw your friends.

You knew more than anything that they _definitely_ had to be some of the best-looking guys around, _that_ much was obvious.

Speaking of which, how did _you_ wind up here? You were so different from them, not just because you were the only girl, but because they literally had to be the hottest and one of the most _popular_ groups on campus. You only knew that due to the way people looked at them at parties. It was almost as if crowds cleared to make ways for them when they passed, and everyone always wanted to talk to them.

It was ridiculous and laughable, because to you, they were nothing more than a bunch of dorks.

Though in all seriousness, how were other people going to see you? Hanging out in a crowd like this? Your parents didn’t seem to mind, although they did tend to question if you’d make other friends. After all, your circle back home wasn’t anything like them.

Right as you were wondering if you even _wanted_ to make other friends, Flavio snagged your attention. “Hey _____, you better not ditch us as soon as we get to school!”

You broke out of your daze and questioned, “Huh? What do you mean?”

Oliver giggled maniacally, “Oh sweetie, once you’re with us, _you’re with us.~”_ Was it just you, or was his smiling face looking slightly ominous?

Allen peeked at you from the rearview mirror. “Yer not allowed to make other friends,” He deadpanned.

Begrudgingly, Luciano agreed, “He’s right, _amore_. You wouldn’t want to anyway; everyone else there is boring.”

Lutz nudged you and sniggered. “You can’t escape us anyway!”

For the first time throughout the entire drive, Matt turned around to lazily glance at you. “…Don’t worry. They won’t let me make other friends either.”

“ _Pffft_ ,” Allen sneered, “Not that anyone else would even _like_ you, bro.”

As he said that, the ancient, massive, and _prestigious_ school finally came into view.

Allen’s glossy black Jeep wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. What made matters worse was that all of the windows were down and he was blasting hip-hop music through his sizable speakers.

Sure enough, as soon as he pulled into the student parking lot, all the passersby began to _stare._

 _Holy shit,_ you swore, _people are **pointing**?!_

Once he parked, groups of girls walked by, already waving hello to the boys.

When you all began to step out, you detected some of them look at you in questioning. You could almost hear them wonder _, ‘Who’s_ she _and what’s she doing with the cutest dudes on campus?’_

You decided to ignore it for now. Meanwhile, the group gravitated towards a corner and mingled there.

Soon, you were all standing around chatting and joking like normal, simply awaiting the school bell. It felt as natural as hanging out with them anywhere else – the only difference was that now you’re in school. This way, it was easier to avoid the eyes of envy you were getting from other students.

You’d be lying if you said they didn’t make you feel a bit smug, though.

Then again, if you hadn’t become Allen’s next-door neighbor, possibly none of this would have happened. He was clearly the ‘leader’ of the group, so if you hadn’t moved where and _when_ you did, then you’d be starting this new school all by yourself.

With a whole summer under your belt of spending time with these nerds, that other scenario sounded unbearably lonely.

“Damn, look at all those ladies _gawking_ at you, _____!” Flavio giggled. “It would appear they’re _jealous.~”_

You shook it off, “Hm? I didn’t really notice.”

“Hehe, and they _don’t even know_ who your boyfriend is!” Oliver added with a snicker.

Flavio nodded, “So Mission High’s infamous drug dealer is making a comeback? The notorious one who quit school years ago? Haha, I can’t wait to see the looks on peoples’ faces when they see him back and better than ever!”

“Oh god…” You stared at the ground, your stomach coiling with nervous energy. “Please don’t make this into a big deal.”

“Hm?” Allen had caught the end of your sentence. His pierced lips twitched into a wicked grin, “Yer gonna wish I never heard that, dollface.”

Your eyes widened, “Huh? A-Allen, you better not-”

 _“-_ Bahahaha!” It was Lutz who broke into a fit of laughter. _“Mein gott,_ he’s fucked!”

As if on cue, Zao’s silver Hummer pulled in next to Allen’s Jeep.

Flavio covered his mouth and sniggered, “ _Mamma Mia_ , here we go!”

Zao and his brothers stepped out.

Needless to say, Zao didn’t look too thrilled to be here. Kuro appeared deathly tired yet ready to kill a man, contrary to Yonsu and Jin, who looked rather excited. After all, those two were still young, fresh, and new to the wonders of American high school.

So far, no one else has noticed them. _Good_ , you thought in relief.

Unfortunately, Allen had quickly come up with his own sinister little plot. “Yo, let’s make this hell for ‘em,” He suggested to the group.

Flavio smirked, “Do it, boo.”

Apparently, that was all the confirmation he needed. Villainously, he turned to Zao, then proceeded to shout across the parking lot, cupped hands to his mouth and all: “ZAO WANG! WASSUP BUDDY?!”

Like a frightened rabbit, his attention shot over to Allen. In the same manner, so did Kuro, Yonsu, and Jin’s.

You mentally screeched. _Literally everyone in front of the school heard him!_

You dared yourself to take a peek around, and sure enough, nearly every student and staff member was looking towards Zao and his roommates in shocking revelation.

You heard whispers and murmured conversations begin to circulate among the school front’s crowd. _“Is that really him?”_

_“He’s back?!”_

_“It’s been like two years!”_

_“And Kuro’s there too, who are the other ones?”_

Ignoring the whispers, the Asians cautiously began to walk forward.

But with the worst amount of luck possible, the second they happened to step near an office door, two teachers strode out — most likely to see what the commotion and sudden silence was about.

Zao came to a halt. Naturally, his brothers followed and did the same.

They were in _direct_ line of sight with them, standing only about four feet in front of them.

In a soft mutter, Luciano informed you, “…That’s the principal and vice principal.”

You gaped, and watched them like a drama film. Apparently, so did the rest of the student body.

After all, the first person they spotted was _Zao Wang_. He was unintentionally standing in their way. And he was quite _well-known_ around not just this school, but many others.

Slouching right next to him was his equally nefarious, inseparable crony, Kuro Honda.

And then two new, younger boys who had their bad influence visibly tainted all over them.

 _“Yonsu…”_ Zao whispered to the Korean at his side while staring down the administrator, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

To which Yonsu smirked – _directly_ at the principal – and lit up a cigarette. _Yup, no fucks given._

Kuro grimaced, “What an honorable first impression…” He completed the sarcastic remark with an eye roll.

To make matters worse, Jin waved hello like a suspiciously innocent little freshman. “Good morning teachers!~”

You could see the pained, _please-don’t-expel-us-already_ nervous smiles that both Zao and Kuro gave the principals even from way over here.

No one spoke a word, but everybody felt the same heavy tension: it is _on_.

You saw Zao simply mouth the word, _“…Shit.”_

“…Holy _crap_ that was intense!” Flavio shrieked once the moment was over.

Lutz howled with laughter and fist-bumped Allen, “Bro, did you see the looks on their faces?!”

“Yeah, fucking _iconic!”_

Oliver quickly nodded, his hands anxiously tugging at his pink hair, “I hate to say this about my dear friend, but at school, he was a teacher’s worst nightmare! I almost feel bad for them now that he is back once again!”

Luciano crossed his arms and let out a soft laugh below his breath, “Not to mention his partner in crime, Kuro fuckin’ Honda.”

“ _Plus_ the two little squirts? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Yonsu’s just itchin’ to carry on his _Bruder’s_ legacy.” Lutz added with a chuckle.

“I’m gettin’ a headache just thinkin’ about it,” Matt irritably mumbled.

“ _Tch_ , if they try that, I’d love to see their careers crash and burn!” Allen guffawed at the idea.

You noticed Zao and Kuro break away from the staff’s path. _So, double trouble, huh?_ You thought with a snort. _More like quadruple trouble_ , especially with the addition of Yonsu and Jin to the school.

Mostly, you were just relieved to see Zao hadn’t gotten suspended on the spot. It looked like the principals were only leading Yonsu and Jin away – most likely for a detention slip.

Soon afterward, Zao jumped into the center of the circle. He was in a black muscle tank that read ‘Made in China’ in small red letters. “Dude, what was that for?” He complained, scowling at Allen. “ _Not_ cool, man.”

The boys chortled with laughter, but Zao didn’t seem to mind. He turned to you and said, “It’s Jin and Yonsu’s first time here. Can you believe they weren’t even here _five minutes_ before they got in trouble?”

You shook your head in disbelief, “What did Jin do?”

“I guess one of ‘em caught him playing with a lighter.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration, “That little pyro, I swear…” Yonsu was just starting tenth grade and Jin was in ninth, but they were already causing problems? Typical.

Kuro suddenly materialized between Lutz and Luciano. Brows furrowed coldly, he snarked with enough venom in his words to murder somebody, “I would’ve _appreciated_ it if we could’ve had a _less ostentatious_ arrival,” His icy glare was aimed directly at Allen.

To which he said simply, “It was classic,” and then proceeded to laugh about it all over again.

“You’re a dead man, Jones.” Kuro hissed out with sharply clenched teeth. His intimating, shineless red eyes were flaming.

“Anyway,” Zao discreetly pulled you away from the band of misfits. “…I really don’t wanna be here.”

You smiled sympathetically. “You know it’s for the best.”

“Yeah, no doubt.” His eyes trailed up and down your form before he added, “Besides… _you’re_ here so that makes it bearable. And,” He slyly winked at you, “ _I’ll_ be here to keep other guys away from you.~”

You laughed and lightly punched his arm. “There’s no need for that; I’m just glad you’re back in school.”

“By the way,” He tilted his head, grinned endearingly and blurted out, “I think I’m in love with you.”

As soon as the words left his lips, his goofy grin fell and was replaced with a jaw-drop, widened eyes and a heavy blush. “...Holy _fuck_. D-Did I just say that out loud?”

You inhaled sharply, processed the words, and then broke into a face-splitting grin. “Oh my god, _Zao_ … _!_ ”

He fell into a fit of giggles, “Y-Yeah. I meant to say that! I love you, _bǎobèi!”_

In response, you grabbed him by his tank top straps, tugged him close and shoved your mouth to his.

He allowed – perhaps even _encouraged_ – the messy make-out by hungrily deepening the kiss, letting out a few moans, and suggestively wrapping his arms around your torso.

“Whoa, gET A _ROOM!”_ Allen shouted towards you two.

Contrary to Lutz, who yelled, “Yeah, _get some_ , Wang!”

“I’m gonna go spill my guts,” Kuro mentioned with a sneer.

“You goddamn _bastards!”_ Snarled Luciano.

Oliver, Flavio, and even Matt joined you and Zao in laughing at their reactions, and in that moment, you felt more of a sense of belonging here than you’d ever known.

This place and these friends were home to you; this was where you were supposed to be. You were meant to move here and meet all of them. A warmth pooled in your chest, and you guessed it was your love for them.

Finally, the morning bell rang. It was time for classes to begin.

An idea came to mind. “Hey Zao, let’s take a ‘first day of school’ selfie.”

When you pulled out your phone’s camera, it suddenly dawned on you that you’d never taken a picture with him before. This was the perfect occasion – new year, new friends, new boyfriend, not to mention his first time back in school in _years_.

“Okay!” You two posed for the camera.

However, just before you could snap it, the rest suddenly piled in.

And there you were on the phone screen, in the middle of the crowd, looking surprised.

Zao was to your right, grinning with double peace signs. Allen was to your left, a smirk on his lips and his middle finger in the air. Oliver was beaming sweetly, and Flavio practically had sparkles around him with his wink and supermodel-like pose. Kuro was off to the side, looking annoyed. Lutz, towering in height, was at the top with a lady-killing smile and a two-finger salute to the camera, while Luciano was a blur due to trying (and purposely or not, failing) to get out of the photo. In the very back, Matt could be seen mid-yawn.

Afterwards, Flavio exclaimed in awe, “That’s a _good one!_ Send it to me so I can post it on Insta!”

You began to message it over when Zao protested, “Wait, let’s take another, just you and m—”

“-Don’t forget to tag me!” Oliver whined.

Briefly, you stared down at the picture and smiled.

This was the end of the story, and yet it was still just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic has haunted me for years... always been in the back of my mind... a lore-rich world of 2Ps just sitting in my phone's Notes app.
> 
> it's thanks to everyone since 2015 who's commented and adored this story that it was finally finished. damn. thanks for the memories.
> 
> if you ever find yourself missing zao, check out his spotify soundtrack~  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3WRPu9AhVXEyBf6FWqguPW
> 
> {p.s., dear 2p china, i will always be your biggest fan - i fucking invented you.}


End file.
